A home health nurse accused of child abuse appeared in Bucks County court Wednesday morning, where she waived her right to a preliminary hearing.
Cindy Desser, 58, faces child endangerment charges tied to an incident last year in Bucks County. The case came after she had already been charged months earlier in a separate child abuse case in Delaware County.
Desser did not respond to questions as state constables escorted her into district court on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. She left minutes later after waiving her preliminary hearing. Her attorney told the judge they are awaiting the completion of a court-ordered psychological evaluation.
Prosecutors say the Bucks County case involves the abuse of a 3-year-old girl with disabilities inside her family’s Bensalem home, where Desser worked as a night nurse employed by Dynamic Home Health.
“They’re caught on video. They’re hard to watch,” said Kristin McElroy, first assistant district attorney in Bucks County.
According to investigators, the girl’s parents set up a camera in her bedroom, which captured the abuse. Detectives with Bensalem Police say the footage shows Desser aggressively throwing the child around inside her crib.
The child’s mother also told police that on one occasion, her daughter pulled out her trachea tube. She said she observed Desser delay putting it back in and heard her say, “You did this,” as the child gasped for air.
“We’re hoping to get justice for this child with this case,” McElroy said.
At the time of the Bucks County incident, Desser had already been charged in a separate case in Delaware County involving another child with disabilities.
In that case, investigators say video shows a woman — believed to be Desser — slamming a 1-year-old child with spina bifida, who was on a ventilator, into a crib inside a Newtown Township home. The incident happened last May while Desser was working for a different company, Team Select Home Care.
New video obtained by NBC10 showed a nurse push a child with medical conditions.
Attorney Sam Dordick, who represents the Delaware County family, said the case raises serious concerns about how Desser was able to continue working after her initial arrest.
“What’s egregious about it is that she was arrested and charged in Delaware County. She made bail. One of the terms of her bail was she was to no longer work in this industry while her charges were pending and yet somehow, she was able to go over to Bucks County and get another job with a different home healthcare agency and be put right back into a family’s home where she again abused a child under her care,” Dordick said.
Desser’s attorney declined to comment following Wednesday’s hearing. She is scheduled to return to court on May 15.
NBC10 has reached out to Team Select Home Care and Dynamic Home Health for comment but has not received a response.