Man charged in Jackson County attack that left sister in a 2-year coma dies

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A man accused in an attack that left his sister in a two-year coma has died in the hospital, according to Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger.

According to Sheriff Mellinger, Daniel J. Palmer III, 55, of Cottageville died around 9 p.m. Thursday, July 21 at CAMC General Hospital. The sheriff says he was taken from South Central Regional Jail to the hospital on Wednesday, July 20. He says Palmer had several health-related issues and became septic while in jail.

Palmer was in the SCRJ on a $500,000 bond after being arrested July 15, 2022 for the June 2020 attack on his sister Wanda Palmer. She was found by neighbor on the morning of June 10, 2020 in her trailer home “injured and covered in blood.” Officers who arrived on scene said they found her “slumped over on her couch” and say she was severely wounded and unresponsive.

Authorities described Wanda Palmer’s injuries as appearing that she had been “bludgeoned about the head and face with an object that caused lacerations.” She was taken to a hospital for treatment and was unable to communicate what had happened to the investigators. The criminal complaint for the case states Wanda Palmer remained unresponsive and was taken to a nursing home to be cared for.

Wanda Palmer woke from her coma in June 2022 and in July 2022 identified her brother Daniel Palmer as her attacker. The criminal complaint states that Daniel Palmer had initially been considered a possible suspect due to a “previous violent history” between the siblings. Investigators say he denied being involved and said he had not been to his sister’s home for days prior to her attack, but witnesses say they saw him on her porch around midnight the night before she was found.

Investigators say they worked for months to eliminate possible suspects and generate leads, but Wanda Palmer remained unresponsive and unable to provide information in the case until she awoke in late June 2022.