Pittsburgh-Area Nurse Charged With Killing 2 Patients

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, PA — A registered nurse has been accused of administering lethal doses of unnecessary medication that killed two patients and left a third hospitalized.

Heather Pressdee, 40, of Harrison, was charged with two counts of homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, neglect of a care-dependent person and reckless endangerment. The charges were announced Thursday by Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry.

The alleged acts happened at Quality Life Services, a skilled nursing facility in Chicora, Butler County, where Pressdee worked as a registered nurse. A 55-year-old man and an 83-year-old man died; another man, 73, survived after emergency hospitalization.

Investigators determined that the victims were under Pressdee’s care when they received overdoses of insulin. Two of the three men were not diabetic.

“The allegations in this case outline the callous abuse of incredibly vulnerable patients by a professional nurse,” Attorney General Henry said. “As the charges indicate, these were deliberate and intentional acts perpetrated by a care-giver who was trusted to care for these victims.

Pressdee is being held in the Butler County Jail without bond.

Henry's office said the investigation remains active. Anyone with concerns about care a loved one received from Pressdee is urged to contact the attorney general's tipline at 888-538-8541.