A 58-year-old night nurse in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, faces charges of endangering the welfare of a 3-year-old girl she was caring for at the family's home. Surveillance footage allegedly shows the nurse slapping the child, throwing her in her crib, and delaying replacement of her tracheostomy tube. The girl, born prematurely with a lung disease, requires constant medical attention.
Cindy Desser worked overnight shifts for the girl at the family's Locust Avenue residence, according to the Bensalem Police Department. The child's mother discovered bruising shaped like a thumbprint on her inner thigh in October and took her to a hospital. Review of home surveillance video revealed multiple instances of alleged abuse, including Desser slapping the girl and roughly handling her in the crib, the probable cause affidavit states. Desser also violated rules at her employer, Dynamic Home Health Care, and was caught sleeping on duty. The footage captured a critical moment when the girl pulled out her tracheostomy tube. Desser allegedly took her time reinserting it as the child gasped for air, then said, 'you did this,' police said. The parents, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke to WPVI about hiring Desser for her 20 years of experience and familiarity with the girl's lung condition. 'She likes nights,' the mother said. 'You don't find that. It was almost like too good to be true.' The mother described the tube incident video as 'the most disturbing one,' adding, 'Thank God my daughter is so strong. It was just horrific.' The father called an instance of shoving 'really sick and horrible' and hopes Desser loses her nursing license. Desser has been fired and is held in Bucks County Jail on $2 million bond, with a court date set for April 7.