A nurse has been charged in the killings of two nursing home residents by insulin injection and the attempted murder of a third, the Pennsylvania Attorney General announced Thursday morning.
Attorney General Michelle Henry announced charges filed against registered nurse Heather Pressdee, who worked at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility about an hour north of Pittsburgh.
Pressdee is accused of administering lethal doses of unnecessary medication that resulted in the death of two patients and the hospitalization of a third, all in 2022. The charges include two counts of homicide, one count of attempted murder, a count of aggravated assault, three counts of neglect of a care-dependent person, and three counts of reckless endangerment.
The victims of the alleged homicides include a 55-year-old man and an 83-year-old man. A third victim, a 73-year-old man, survived after emergency hospitalization. The attorney general’s office said Pressdee drugged the men with insulin; two of the three were not diabetic.
“The allegations in this case outline the callous abuse of incredibly vulnerable patients by a professional nurse,” Henry said in a statement announcing the charges. “As the charges indicate, these were deliberate and intentional acts perpetrated by a care-giver who was trusted to care for these victims.”
Pressdee was arraigned on the charges Wednesday night and is being held at Butler County Prison without bail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 6, according to Pennsylvania court records. An attorney for Pressdee was not listed.
The investigation is ongoing.
An affidavit shows a family member of one of the victims referred the case to investigators. Investigators reported that Pressdee was disciplined “for abusive behavior toward patients or staff” at several facilities, leading her to quit or be fired from 11 facilities since 2018.
A message left with Quality Life Services this afternoon was not immediately returned. The family-owned organization operates 10 skilled nursing facilities in Pennsylvania.
This is a developing story. Please check back for details.
