West Virginia Man Dies In Custody After Being Accused Of Brutal Attack That Left His Sister In A Coma

A West Virginia man jailed for only a week for attempting to kill his sister in June of 2020 has died, according to police. 

Daniel J. Palmer III, 55, was charged with attempted murder and malicious wounding. 

Palmer was brought to the Charleston Hospital on Wednesday, where he passed away the following day. Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger believes that the cause of death was natural causes. He told People that Palmer was not in good health. 

Palmer’s sister, Wanda, was found sitting on a couch with her head slumped over at her home. She suffered from a lot of skull and brain trauma. She was hospitalized and spent two years in a coma following the attack.

A witness placed Palmer on his 51-year-old sister’s porch the night before police discovered her. The case was difficult to investigate, according to Mellinger, who cited a lack of evidence, eyewitnesses, or surveillance footage. 

Mellinger told the outlet he recently received a call from Wanda’s long-term care facility letting him know she was awake. With limited speech, she was able to identify her brother as her attacker and primitively describe how she was attacked. 

“From an investigator’s standpoint, it is unfortunate we don’t get the chance to see the case through,” Mellinger said. “We turn the focus towards the victim in the case and hope she continues to get better. She has a long road ahead of her.”