A former Pennsylvania retirement home nurse is facing charges after she allegedly administered fatal doses of insulin to three patients, and now, prosecutors say there were additional victims she injected with insulin over a 3-year period.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced Thursday that 41-year-old Heather Pressdee allegedly administered insulin in excessive doses between 2020 and May 2023, to patients at several different Pennsylvania nursing homes. Henry said 17 of 19 patients who were injected by Presdee have now died.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Pressdee admitted to intentionally injecting three victims, although two of them did not have diabetes and didn’t need insulin. According to the initial criminal complaint, Pressdee told police “that she felt bad for their quality of life and she had hoped that they would just slip into a coma and pass away.”
“The allegations against Ms. Pressdee are disturbing,” Henry said during Thursday’s press release.
“It is hard to comprehend how a nurse, trusted to care for her patients, could choose to deliberately and systematically harm them. The damage done to the victims and their loved ones cannot be overstated. Every person in a medical or care facility should feel safe and cared for, and my office will work tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable for her crimes and protect care-dependent Pennsylvanians from future harm.”
The alleged poisonings happened at:
- Concordia at Rebecca Residence
- Premier Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation
Investigators said Pressdee likely administered the insulin while working overnight shifts when the facilities were understaffed. Further, they said the suspect has a history of “being disciplined for abusive behavior towards patients and/or staff.”
Heather Pressdee Criminal C… by Leigh Egan
Fox News Digital reports that Presdee is now facing murder, attempted murder, and neglect of a care-dependent person. The victims’ ages have been listed as 43 to 104.
“Pressdee often took steps to ensure her victims would expire prior to shift change so that they wouldn’t be sent to the hospital where her scheme could be discovered through medical test,” police said.
Police added that if the patient happened to survive, Presdee would administer a higher dosage or inject the patient with air.
Cellphone records obtained from the defendant’s phone by investigators indicated that she had an alleged obsession with murder and dying.
“I can’t with this lady. She’s going to get pillow therapy,” Presdee allegedly said in a text message to her mother.
In other text messages, Presdee allegedly said she wanted to kill someone at Arby’s, a “pizza man” and a man at Taco Bell.
Presdee remains behind bars without bail at the Butler County Prison. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Heather Pressdee/Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office]
