A Bucks County nurse is being held on $2 million bail after Bensalem police charged her with endangering the welfare of children in connection with the alleged abuse of a medically fragile child in a Bensalem home.
Cindy Desser, 57, of Jamison, was arraigned Thursday and is being held in the Bucks County Correctional Center, according to police. Investigators also state in an affidavit of probable cause that she may have been involved in an assault involving another child.
The investigation began in late October when Bensalem police received a ChildLine report about a night nurse suspected of abusing a female child with serious medical conditions. The child relies on a tracheostomy tube to breathe.
Because of the child’s ongoing medical problems, her bedroom is kept under constant video surveillance. The girl had been born prematurely at 14 ounces and lives with life-threatening conditions affecting her heart and lungs, according to her parents.
The child’s parents, who asked to remain anonymous, said they hired Desser during the summer through Dynamic Home Health Care to provide overnight care. The mother said the nurse’s background appeared reassuring when they chose her for the job.
Concern about possible abuse first arose when the child’s mother noticed bruising while changing her daughter’s diaper. One injury was an unusual bruise on the child’s inner thigh. She took her daughter to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where doctors conducted an examination that included a full-body scan. According to the criminal complaint, a physician told the mother that the bruise could resemble a thumbprint.
After the hospital visit, the mother reviewed the video recordings from the bedroom. Investigators say the footage showed several incidents involving Desser handling the child aggressively. According to the affidavit, some of the recordings date to August and show the nurse smacking and slamming the child.
Police said one video captured the child pulling out her tracheostomy tube while Desser took time before putting it back in as the child struggled to breathe. During the recording, the nurse can be heard saying, “You did this,” as the child gasps for air.
Investigators also reported that the videos appear to show Desser throwing the child aggressively inside the crib and striking her several times. Police said the footage also shows the nurse sleeping during periods when she was responsible for the child’s care.
The parents said they later discovered multiple recordings showing similar behavior when they reviewed the footage from their home cameras.
“This was the most disturbing one. Thank God my daughter is so strong,” the mother said.
The father described another incident captured on video in which their daughter briefly sat up and looked toward the nurse before being pushed down.
“It was just a nightmare,” he said.
The alleged incidents happened shortly before the family left for a Make-A-Wish trip, which they said was difficult to enjoy after discovering the recordings. They said their daughter is currently doing well and continuing to defy the odds.
During the investigation, police learned that Desser was allegedly under investigation in connection with an assault involving another child. Earlier in March, detectives obtained a code of ethics document that Desser had signed with the Bensalem home health care agency that employed her. According to the affidavit, the document showed she violated several rules and ethics connected to the position.
Police obtained a warrant for Desser on Wednesday. The Warwick Police Department took her into custody and transferred her to the Bensalem police.
Dynamic Home Health Care said Desser is no longer employed by the agency.
Bensalem police said investigators believe there may be additional victims and asked anyone with information about Desser to contact them. Desser remains jailed on child endangerment charges, and her attorney has not responded to requests for comment.
