‘Left for Dead,’ Woman in US Awakens from Coma, IDs Brother as Attacker

A West Virginia woman who recently awakened from a two-year coma after “being left for dead,” told police her brother was her attacker.

After the allegation from Wanda Palmer, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department arrested 55-year-old Daniel Palmer, charging him with attempted murder and malicious wounding, the office said on its Facebook page.

“After 2 years of being hospitalized and in a coma resulting from being attacked, hacked, and left for dead, Wanda Palmer is now awake to see her assailant in custody—her brother, Daniel Palmer,” the sheriff’s department said in its July 15th post.

Wanda Palmer was found in her home unconscious and with serious head injuries on June 10, 2020, the Associated Press reported, citing local news coverage at the time.

The case received considerable local attention, and the sheriff’s office Facebook post about the arrest elicited nearly two hundred comments: “Continued prayers for Wanda. Hope you get your justice you deserve,” read one post. “I was thinking about her the other day wondering what happened…nobody had said anything in awhile,” read another.

After Waking from Coma, Woman IDs Brother as Attacker

She was in a coma for two years and remained in a nursing home. Authorities had identified Daniel as a suspect but said in court documents they didn’t have enough evidence to charge him.

Late last month, authorities received a call from a protective services worker, who said Wanda Palmer had begun speaking a few words and responding to questions.

She identified her brother as her assailant in an interview with a deputy sheriff on July 12th, according to a criminal complaint that local WCHS-TV obtained.

Sheriff Ross Mellinger said the incident was “about as rare as it gets,” according to reports.

Jackson County is located in western West Virginia near the border of Ohio.