Authorities in Pennsylvania recently arrested a nurse in connection with two homicides.
Heather Pressdee, 40, a former registered nurse from Natrona Heights, is accused of administering excessive amounts of insulin to patients, resulting in the death of two people and hospitalization of another, as stated in a press release from Attorney General Michelle Henry on May 25.
Pressdee is facing charges including homicide, attempted murder, aggravated assault, neglect of a care-dependent person, and reckless endangerment.
Her legal status remains uncertain; it is yet to be confirmed whether Pressdee has entered a plea or secured legal counsel. She is currently being held without bail at the Butler County Prison and her court appearance is scheduled for June 6.
Pressdee was employed at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility in Chicora, from May 23, 2022, to November 28, 2022. Prosecutors contend that during her tenure, she administered excessive insulin doses to three patients, causing them to experience hypoglycemia.
Based on a criminal complaint, two patients fell ill in November and later died after receiving excessive insulin doses under Pressdee’s care: a 55-year-old man on December 4, 2022, and an 83-year-old on December 25, 2022. The press release from the Attorney General’s office further discloses that a third patient, a 73-year-old man, survived but needed emergency hospitalization after receiving a potentially lethal dose of insulin on August 31, 2022. It should be noted that two of these victims were not diagnosed with diabetes.
The investigation into Pressdee’s actions was initiated after a complaint from a relative of one of the alleged victims. This relative expressed concerns about Pressdee’s insulin administration methods. During an interrogation, Pressdee allegedly voiced her sympathy for the patient’s quality of life, confessing her hope that the patient would fall into a coma and pass away. A fellow nurse also reported that Pressdee had suggested that one of the patients would be better off dead.
