A Pennsylvania nurse was accused of administering lethal doses of insulin, resulting in the deaths of two patients and hospitalization of a third because she “felt bad about her quality of life.”
Heather Pressdee, 40, of Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of two men, a 55 and an 83.
Pressdee was also charged with attempted murder of a 73-year-old man, one count of aggravated assault, three counts of neglect of a dependent person and three counts of reckless endangerment.
The deranged murders occurred at Quality Life Services, a nursing facility in Chicora where Pressdee worked as a registered nurse.
Investigators said the victims were in Pressdee’s care when they received an insulin overdose that led to medical emergencies in all and two deaths.
Heather Pressdee, 40, of Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, was charged Wednesday with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of two men, one, 55, and another, 83. She also faces charges of attempted murder of a third man (73).
Pressdee had worked at numerous other healthcare facilities but had to be fired or fined for abusive behavior before ending up at Quality of Life Services (pictured).
Pressdee is also reported to have been disciplinary sanctioned since 2018 for abusive behavior towards patients and/or staff at 11 healthcare facilities and either terminated or fired by those facilities.
The two men died on December 4, 2022 and December 25, 2022 and the surviving victim was given a potentially lethal dose of insulin on August 31, 2022.
An affidavit obtained by alleges that Pressdee administered fatal doses of insulin, a hormone used to lower blood sugar levels in diabetics, to her victims.
The 55-year-old and 83-year-old fell ill in Pressdee’s care in November last year.
According to the affidavit, the two men had been “roommates” whose rooms were connected by a Jack and Jill bathroom.
That same night, both men had to be hospitalized within 30 minutes of each other for the same condition, hypoglycemia.
The two men later died as a result, and a nurse who was questioned by police said she had never seen anything like it in her thirty years of professional experience.
The nurse also said Pressdee told her that one of the men “would be better off dead”.
The 73-year-old man who survived was also being cared for by Pressdee at the care facility and was reportedly overdosed on insulin, despite not being diabetic.
According to the affidavit, the man began having seizures and suffered from severe hypoglycemia shortly after Pressdee treated him directly.
A typical room at the Quality of Life Services facility in Chicora, PA, where Pressdee had worked
The incidents happened at Quality Life Services in Chicora while Pressdee was looking after the men
After police arrived at her home on Wednesday night, Pressdee apparently admitted responsibility.
She told officers the surviving victim, who had been in COVID isolation, asked Pressdee to “kill him.”
Pressdee also told investigators that she felt sorry for the two men, who later died, and that their “quality of life was not good” before injecting them with insulin.
In a statement, Quality Life Services said: “Quality Life Services is shocked and devastated to learn that the charges brought by the Attorney General’s Office against Ms Pressdee involve alleged illegal activities that took place at our facility in QLS – Chicora.”
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s Office in the investigation and prosecution of this matter, as necessary.”
“We can assure our community, our residents, our families and our employees that all residents of Quality Life Services – Chicora are safe and receiving appropriate care and services.”