Heather Pressdee, a nurse, allegedly poisoned three patients with insulin, killing two of them, authorities said. (Mugshot: Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office)
A nurse allegedly gave three patients lethal doses of insulin, killing two, and she claimed she did it intentionally because she wanted to end their suffering, according to Pennsylvania authorities.
Heather Pressdee, 40, ‘said she felt bad for their quality of life and had hoped they would just go into a coma and die,’ the complaint about two victims, JB, 55, says. and 83 years old. -old JC She allegedly claimed that the sole survivor, EA, 73, who was in COVID isolation and going through a very difficult time, asked her to kill him.
All three incidents occurred while she was working at Quality Life Services in Chicora. Although she allegedly claimed good intentions, authorities pointed to Pressdee’s unstable work history. Investigators determined that she had a long history since 2018 of “disciplining for abusive behavior towards patients and/or staff”, which led to her being fired or resigning from various institutions:
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- Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Harmarville, where she worked in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from October 2018 to April 2019.
- Allegheny Valley Hospital, where she worked in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, from April to September 2019.
- Platinum Ridge Center for Rehabilitation and Healing, where she worked in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania from September 2019 to January 2020.
- Orchards of Saxonburg, where she worked in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from February to April 2020.
- UPMC Passavant-McCandless, where she worked in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from April to October 2020.
- Concordia at Rebecca Resident, a retirement home, where she worked in Allison Park, Pennsylvania from October 2020 to April 2021.
- Guardian Healthcare, doing business as BelAir Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, where she worked in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania from April 2021 to February 2022.
- Woodhaven Care Center, where she worked in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, from March to May 2022.
- Quality Life Services, where she worked in Chicora from May to November 2022.
- First Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, where she worked in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, from November to December 2022.
- Butler, PA: Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, where she worked in Butler, PA, from January to May 2023.
Pressdee was hired as assistant director of nursing at Quality Life and worked from May 23 to November 28, 2022, investigators said. She also stepped in as Acting Director of Nursing while maintaining her other position.
“ADONs/DONs are the facility managers and in charge of all nursing staff and all administrative duties that must be performed to meet all state and federal guidelines,” police said. “In addition, they handle all patient concerns, conduct internal investigations, investigate allegations of abuse and manage nurse scheduling. The ADON and/or DON will provide direct resident care if required due to calls.
“The allegations, in this case, describe the mistreatment of incredibly vulnerable patients by a professional nurse,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said. “As the charges indicate, these were deliberate and intentional acts perpetrated by a carer who was trusted to care for these victims. Rest assured that my office will zealously pursue justice for the families of those killed, as well as for the third victim who is fortunate to have survived.
Statement from Attorney General Michelle Henry regarding Western PA nurse charged with patient deaths: pic.twitter.com/ohN5ah8nFl
— Michelle Henry (@PAAttorneyGen) May 25, 2023
JB died in a hospital on December 4, 2020, after suffering respiratory failure and recurring fever of uncertain origin.
“Important conditions contributing to death are: brainstem malignancy, seizure disorder, neurofibromatosis and hypoglycemia,” authorities said.
JC, whose bedroom was connected to JB’s by a “Jack and Jill” bathroom, died on December 24, 2022.
They visited the hospital for low blood sugar less than 30 minutes apart, according to the complaint.
A Quality Life nurse told investigators she had never seen this in more than 30 years of nursing experience, according to the complaint. She also claimed that before JB died, Preessdee said he would be “better off dead”.
The complaint also noted that EA was roommates with JB during EA’s near-fatal incident on August 31, 2022. He was found convulsing in bed that night, even though he had no no known history of seizures. His blood sugar dropped from 73 mg/dL to 11 mg/dL.
Among the victims, only JC was diabetic and the complaint mentioned him as “non-insulin dependent”.
Pressdee agreed to speak to investigators after Miranda, and she signed consent forms for authorities to search her home, her two vehicles and her cellphone.
She is being held without bond at the Butler County Jail. She is charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted murder, one count of aggravated assault, three counts of neglect of a care-dependent person and three counts of reckless endangerment. .
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