A 60-year-old man from Marshfield is in serious trouble after being charged for the death of a woman he dated. Cyril J. Granahan is being held on $250,000 cash bail at Wood County Jail. Authorities accuse him of reckless homicide and abusing an elder person. This case shocked many after reports surfaced about a brutal attack that left the woman badly hurt before she passed away.
According to police reports, the incident started in the woman’s apartment on April 24. The woman, 61 years old, had a complicated relationship with Granahan, who lived just below her. The night took a dark turn when Granahan came back to her place early on April 25. He asked about his cigarette case, and when the woman said she didn’t know where it was, Granahan pushed her to the floor and stomped on her multiple times.
The attack worsened when Granahan grabbed a knife from the kitchen. The woman told police it was a 6-inch chef’s knife. Disturbingly, Granahan said he planned to cut off her head and made sawing motions on the back of her neck with the knife. The woman fought back and tried to grab the knife, but he cut her thumb in the struggle. She described the terrifying ordeal lasting several minutes, though she gave different estimates of the exact time during police interviews.
When authorities examined the woman, they found a large cut on her neck, bruises on her face and chest, and a defensive wound on her hand. Despite the injuries and threats, the woman managed to get up and go to bed after Granahan stopped his attack and left to search for his cigarettes.
Later that day, the woman’s caretaker arrived and found the apartment in disarray. Blood was visible around the woman’s shoulders. The caretaker and a friend helped take the woman to Marshfield Medical Center for emergency care. The caretaker also told police about a previous incident when Granahan hit the woman in the face with a cigarette roller just a month before.
Police reviewed security footage from the apartment building, which showed Granahan going in and out of the building multiple times. At one point, he appeared very upset and shouted toward the surveillance room. Police also spoke with Granahan, who admitted to being at the woman’s apartment but seemed confused about some details. He said he left after an argument about something disturbing the woman mentioned.
The woman’s daughter informed police about the investigation and revealed her mother had brain tumors that might explain some confusion in the woman’s story. Sadly, after emergency brain surgery on April 29 to treat bleeding, the woman’s condition worsened quickly, and she died on May 8.
An autopsy confirmed blunt force trauma to the head as the main cause of death. The case continues to be investigated as Granahan faces serious charges for this violent attack that ended tragically.