Wanda Palmer, 51, accused her brother of assaulting her at her residence near Cottageville, West Virginia, in June 2020. Police said Palmer was “assaulted, hacked and left for dead,” according to a statement released on Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Facebook.
Police say they found Palmer in an “upright position” on her couch with severe injuries caused by what appeared to be a hatchet or hatchet. Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger told CNN that when police arrived they thought she was dead, but soon after realized she was still alive and breathing shallowly.
Police never found the weapon, Mellinger said.
A witness reported seeing Palmer’s brother, Daniel, on her porch around midnight the night before she was found, Mellinger said. There were no phone records, surveillance footage or eyewitnesses outside Palmer’s home, the sheriff said.
Police investigated several people but were never able to press charges. A few weeks ago, Mellinger said his office received a call from Palmer’s treatment facility that she had been able to speak with authorities.
Palmer was only able to answer yes or no questions, but provided enough testimony for police to arrest Daniel, Mellinger told CNN.
Daniel Palmer III, 55, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and malicious wounding on Friday, according to arrest records obtained by CNN.
He was charged and held on a $500,000 bond, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, who said it was unclear how he confessed. CNN was unable to identify an attorney for him, but contacted the Jackson County Public Defender’s office.
Wanda Palmer is now coherent but unable to hold full-length conversations, the Jackson County Sheriff told CNN.
CNN’s Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.
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