A Pennsylvania woman charged with the mistreatment of 22 elderly nursing home residentsallegedly sent flowers and a card to the family of a victim who was given a fatal dose of insulin.
Heather Pressdee, 41, is facing two counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, and 19 counts of neglect relating to incidents across five care facilities between 2020 and 2023.
She was charged with the murders ofIrene Simons, 78, and Sandra Lincoln, 82, who died following unnecessary doses of insulin last year.
Their families filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against Sunnyview Operating LLC and Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center last week.
They claim the companies were negligent, careless or reckless as they hired Pressdee 'despite her alarming history of resident abuse at ten prior facilities including causing injuries and/or deaths of at least sixteen residents at the other facilities.'
Heather Pressdee, 41, charged with the mistreatment of 22 elderly nursing home residents, allegedly sent flowers and a card to the family of a victim who was given a fatal dose of insulin
She was charged with the murders of Irene Simons, 78, (pictured) and Sandra Lincoln, 82, who died following unnecessarily doses of insulin last year
Their families filed separate wrongful death lawsuits against Sunnyview Operating LLC and Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (pictured) last week
The lawsuit filed by the family ofSimons alleges thatPressdee injected the elderly victim with 60 doses of insulin before administering another 60 when she did not immediately die in March 2023.
Her daughter Elizabeth Ozella, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, was visiting her on the day of the incident before she left the room for around 30 minutes and Simons was doing well and speaking with family.
But once she returned she noticed her mother's breathing became irregular and labored.
She asked Pressdee to check onSimons while she went to the bathroom. When Ozella returned, she allegedly saw the nurse with a medication cart and was told her mother was dead.
'Elizabeth broke down into tears and began to cry uncontrollably and lay in bed with her deceased mother,' the lawsuit alleged.
'HeatherPressdee did not then leave the room but rather stayed in the room/doorway and lingered watching Plaintiff grieve and lay in bed with her mother as she perceived the sudden and unexpected death of her mother, whose condition she was cruelly forced to watch deteriorate in real time.
'At the hands of whom she entrusted her mother's care, HeatherPressdee in her employment for Defendant Sunnyview.'
The lawsuit claimsPressdee also sent flowers, a handwritten note to the funeral home and a sympathy card toSimons' family following her death.
'Heather Pressdee sent flowers to the funeral home forIrene Simons with a handwritten note that stated "In loving memory of Irene Elizabeth Simons. She will be missed. Sorry for your loss. Love Heather (Sunnyview)"
'Pressdee sent the family of Irene Simons an additional handwritten sympathy card which stated "words can't say how sorry I am for the loss of Irene. She was one of a kind. She was an amazing woman. Heather."
It also alleged Pressdee admitted injecting the victim with 120 doses of short-acting insulin despite her not suffering from diabetes.
The family said it was not until May 1, 2023, that Sunnyview 'terminated HeatherPressdee for exhibiting abusive behavior towards residents and staff and escorted her off the premises.'
There are five counts in the lawsuit includingnegligence, vicarious liability and infliction of emotional distress.
It reads that 'Sunnyview’s conduct was outrageous, willful, wanton and reckless' and that it should have been aware ofPressdee's alleged history of patient abuse and suspicious patient deaths.
The lawsuit claimed that the nurse was fired or forced to resign from 10 previous facilities 'in response to her exhibiting abusive tendencies and behaviors toward residents and staff.'
The lawsuit filed by the family of Simons alleges that Pressdee injected the elderly victim with 60 doses of insulin before administering another 60 when she did not immediately die in March 2023
'Defendant failed to conduct an appropriate background check prior to hiringHeather Pressdee,' it stated.
Simon’s family is seeking unspecified damages and has asked for a jury trial.
While the family of Lincoln, who died on April 17, 2023, filed a separate lawsuit that also includesPremier Healthcare Management, LLC as a defendant.
They claimed thatPressdee was heard sayingLincoln 'needed to die' 40 minutes before she was pronounced dead.
The victim had made it clear she wanted to be discharged from Sunnyview and taken off tube feedings so she could die at home.
Pressdee admitted to administering insulin to Lincoln before injectingone syringe of air into the victim to create a dangerousair embolism, according to the PennsylvaniaAttorney General’s Office.
The lawsuit claimsSunnyview acted negligently by hiringPressdee and is liable for its staff behavior.
The family added that the company failed to prevent the nurse fromadministering unnecessary insulin to Lincoln, did not tell thePennsylvania Department of Health about unusual deaths at the home and failed to report or act on suspected abuse.
While the family of Lincoln, who died on April 17, 2023, filed a separate lawsuit that also includes Premier Healthcare Management, LLC as a defendant
Pressdee admitted to administering insulin to Lincoln before injecting one syringe of air into the victim to create a dangerous air embolism, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office
Lincoln’s family is seeking damages in excess of $35,000 and has requested a jury trial.
Pressdee, from Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania, has confessed to trying to kill 19 others at five different rehabilitation centers across the US since 2020. She has been linked to 17 different deaths.
Her defense lawyers admitted they're trying to escape the death penalty.
The lawyers - James DePasquale and Phil DiLucente - told ABC news : 'What our goal has been from the beginning in this case is to avoid the possibility of the death penalty,' DePasquale said. 'I think that we are very very close to accomplishing that.'
DiLucente said: 'Within the next 90 days there will be more we can comment on how this case is going to proceed, but it's a substantial number of people and it's a very serious case. Probably one of the most serious cases I've experienced in my career.'
She typically administered the insulin during overnight shifts when staffing was low and the emergencies would not prompt immediate hospitalization. The victims ranged in age from 43 to 104.
DailyMail.com has contactedSunnyview Operating LLC and Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for comment.
