Since that night, Wanda Palmer has been in a long-term care facility in New Martinsville, W.Va., recovering from the brutal attack that took place in her home in June 2020. Palmer, 51, fell into a coma after being “assaulted, hacked and left for dead,” according to a statement from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.
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Sheriff Ross Mellinger told CNN that police thought Palmer was dead when they found her. Palmer was discovered “in an upright position” on her couch, breathing shallowly, and appeared to have been struck by an ax or hatchet, the sheriff said. Story continues below ad Without much evidence, local police were unable to identify Palmer’s assailant and her case remained unsolved. About two weeks ago, Palmer’s care unit contacted police to let them know she had come out of a two-year coma, West Virginia Metro News first reported.
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Medical staff at the facility told authorities that Palmer was able to speak but still suffered from brain damage as a result of her attack. Despite this, Palmer was able to identify her assailant as her brother Daniel Palmer and provided enough testimony to the police to obtain an arrest warrant. Trending Stories
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Mellinger said Palmer was coherent but could only answer yes or no questions and was unable to hold full-length conversations. “The keys to the whole thing were the victim himself and because he couldn’t communicate, we were left with nothing. Now, lo and behold, two years later and boom, she’s awake and can tell us exactly what happened,” Mellinger told Metro News.
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Police arrested Daniel, 55, on July 15 for attempted murder and malicious wounding of his sister. His bond was set at $500,000. Story continues below ad “He didn’t give us any fight or anything. It was a little bit of a surprise, but not completely,” Mellinger said of the arrest. Mellinger told CNN that during the initial police investigation, a witness in the area reported seeing Daniel on his sister’s porch around midnight the night before Palmer was discovered. While no offensive weapon was ever found, Mellinger believes Palmer was attacked with a knife or ax. 2:07 Vaccinations 21-year-old woman in coma, fighting for her life at MUHC Previous Video Next Video © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
