A 41-year-old registered nurse from Pennsylvania is facing serious accusations including several counts of murder and attempted murder following allegations that she gave lethal doses of insulin to patients at various healthcare facilities. As the investigation has progressed, more victims have been discovered, dating back over the last three years.
Initially, in May 2023, Heather Pressdee was charged with the deaths of two nursing home patients and the harm of another. The recent legal proceedings, however, have expanded the accusations against her. Now, Pressdee is facing additional charges such as two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect of care-dependent persons. A total of 17 patients under Pressdee’s care, ranging from 43 to 104 years old, died.
The ongoing investigation into Pressdee’s actions suggests that she overadministered insulin to 19 patients across five healthcare facilities beginning in 2020. It is alleged that this involved both diabetic and non-diabetic patients, causing severe and sometimes fatal reactions.
It appears that Pressdee, who worked at various healthcare centers, carried out these actions mainly during her night shifts.
Following her decision to waive her preliminary hearing, Pressdee has been detained at the Butler County jail. Under Pennsylvania law, if found guilty of first-degree murder, she faces the possibility of the death penalty.
One of the identified victims was 68-year-old Marianne Bower, who passed away in September 2021 at a rehabilitation center while under Pressdee’s care. Bower’s family initially thought her passing was due to natural causes, only to discover later that it might have been caused by Pressdee’s purported misconduct.
Details such as specific timelines or the names of the involved facilities have not been disclosed by law enforcement or healthcare facility representatives, as the investigation is still active.
The case has garnered widespread attention given the number of alleged victims and the extended timeframe of the incidents. The Pennsylvania Board of Nursing is also set to examine Pressdee’s behavior in a professional conduct review, and her nursing license has already been suspended.
Court records indicate that between April 2022 and May 2023, Pressdee sent text messages to her mother expressing dissatisfaction with her patients and coworkers, even discussing potential harm to them.
As the court case continues, additional information is anticipated to surface, hopefully offering a more detailed account of the circumstances surrounding the allegations against Pressdee. The community, along with the victims’ families, are eagerly waiting for these revelations in their quest for justice.
