A West Virginia woman just woke from a two-year coma and identified her brother as the man who attacked her.
Police say 51-year-old Wanda Palmer says her brother was the person who tried to end her life. She accused him of attacking her at her home near Cottageville, West Virginia, in June 2020.
According to a statement posted to Facebook by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, she was "attacked, hacked, and left for dead." She had massive head trauma, among other severe injuries.
Police found Wanda Palmer sitting upright on her couch. She had injuries they believed were inflicted with something similar to a hatchet. They did not find the weapon.
Palmer was extremely close to death when police arrived at the scene. In fact, at first they believed she was already gone, according to Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger. He told CNN that she appeared lifeless, but police noticed she was breathing shallowly.
Police investigated several people in Palmer's attack. Though one witness reported seeing Palmer's brother, Daniel Palmer III, on her porch late at night before she was found, charges were never filed.
Then police got a call saying that Wanda Palmer was awake and communicating with authorities.
Palmer was not able to speak, but she could answer yes or no questions. It was enough for police to piece the story together and arrest Palmer's brother.
Sheriff Mellinger told CNN that Daniel Palmer was arrested and charged with attempted murder and malicious wounding.
The suspect has been arraigned.
Wanda Palmer is now fully awake and coherent, police say. She is still struggling to hold full conversations.
