Cindy Desser, 58, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of children

NEED TO KNOW

• A Pennsylvania nurse is accused of striking a 3-year-old child who was under her care
• Cindy Desser, 58, was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of children
• A family, who had hired Desser as a night nurse for their daughter with multiple medical issues, reported that the nurse had been captured on home surveillance video smacking the child and pulling on her tracheostomy tube

A Pennsylvania nurse is facing a criminal child abuse charge after she was accused of striking a 3-year-old child who was under her care.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by WPVI, the Philadelphia Inquirer and NBC 10 Philadelphia, 58-year-old Cindy Desser of Bucks County was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of children, following an investigation by the Bensalem Township Police Department.

The investigation began after a family, who had hired Desser as a night nurse for their daughter with "multiple medical issues," reported that the nurse had allegedly been captured on home surveillance video smacking the child and pulling on her tracheostomy tube, which is used to provide a direct airway into the trachea.

According to the family, they hired Desser through Dynamic Home Health Care to watch their daughter, who was born prematurely with life-threatening medical conditions affecting her heart and lungs. They told WPVI that they believed Desser would be an ideal caregiver due to her background.

"Twenty years' experience in home care, taking care of a kid with the same lung disease as mine. She likes nights," the child's mother said. "You don't find that. It was almost too good to be true."

Then, in October 2025, Desser showed the family a video of herself allegedly assaulting another child. The parents told WPVI that they weren't sure why she showed them the footage, but it prompted them to review their own home surveillance footage, and they allegedly discovered recordings of Desser smacking and slamming their daughter. At one point, Desser was also allegedly sleeping while she was supposed to be caring for the girl.

Another recording showed their daughter pulling out her tracheostomy tube. Desser allegedly was slow to replace it. The child was struggling to breathe, and Desser allegedly could be heard saying, "You're the one that did it. I don't want to hear it."

The girl's mother also said she noticed bruises while changing her daughter's diaper, which a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia doctor told her could have come from a thumbprint.

After reviewing their own security camera footage, the girl's parents learned that Desser was already under investigation for another alleged assault of a child.

"Thank God my daughter is so strong," the mother told WPVI. "It was just horrific. I just couldn't believe it. It's almost like monsters come out at night."

"It was just a nightmare," the girl's father added, recounting watching one of the incidents on video. "All our little girl did was sit up and look at her for a minute, and she got shoved to the ground. It's really sick and horrible."

Bensalem police told WPVI that there may be additional victims, and urged anyone with concerns about Desser to contact investigators.

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As for Desser, Dynamic Home Health Care told the outlet that she is no longer employed with them. The agency did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

The girl's parents told WPVI they hope Desser loses her nursing license — but were happy to share that their daughter is doing well and "defying the odds" in the aftermath of the incident.

Desser was arrested on Wednesday, March 25, and charged with endangering the welfare of children.

She is currently in custody in the Bucks County Jail after failing to post her $2 million bail. Her next court hearing is scheduled for April 7.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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