Nicholas Cymbol, a 43-year-old man, passed away on May 1, 2023, while a resident at Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Butler, Pennsylvania. His death, initially attributed to a heart attack, was later revealed to be the result of a lethal dose of insulin administered by a nurse at the facility.
Nicholas, who had battled juvenile diabetes since the age of 10, had a history of significant medical challenges, including kidney failure and anoxic brain damage from a previous medical crisis. Despite these struggles, he was known for his will to live and was a beloved figure among residents and staff at Sunnyview. He had been a resident of Dayton, Pennsylvania, for 35 years and had also lived in Port Charlotte, Florida. Prior to his disability, he worked as a cook at Chili's.
The investigation into his death uncovered a disturbing pattern of events. A nurse manager at Sunnyview, Heather Pressdee, was identified as the individual who administered the fatal insulin dose. It was discovered that Pressdee had a history of being terminated or forced to resign from ten other medical facilities between 2018 and 2022. Staff at Sunnyview had reportedly raised concerns about the alarming rate of patient deaths under Pressdee's care, but their warnings were allegedly ignored by management. Pressdee had reportedly made unsettling comments, stating that some patients 'deserve to die' and specifically remarking that Cymbol would be 'the next one to die.'
In the wake of Nicholas Cymbol's death, his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, alleging negligence in the hiring and supervision of Heather Pressdee. The lawsuit claimed the facility failed to properly vet her troubled employment history and did not act on staff complaints about her behavior. Pressdee was ultimately arrested and faced multiple charges, including murder and attempted murder, related to the deaths and mistreatment of patients at several facilities. She pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, including the murder of Nicholas Cymbol, and 19 counts of attempted murder. Cymbol was her last victim.
