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The Journal News
Eugene Palmer, 73.
A manhunt for a 73-year-old diabetic wanted for murder entered its fourth day Thursday as authorities in Rockland County, N.Y., looked for proof that their suspect was even in the state park they were searching.
"The woods are too thick for a general sweep," Haverstraw Police Chief Charles Miller said. "There are so many places to hide ... [Or] he could have made it to a road and gotten picked up by somebody, and he could be staying elsewhere."
Eugene Palmer, of Haverstraw, is accused of killing his estranged daughter-in-law, Tammy Palmer, 39, who lived in a trailer 50 feet from his house, The New York Times reported. His sister, Elaine Babcock, said he stopped by her nearby home Monday morning, gave her money for his property taxes, and then told her that he had killed Palmer before asking her to wait an hour before calling police.
But Babcock immediately called 911, The Journal News in New York's Hudson Valley reported. Officers said a separate 911 caller heard three gunshots coming from the home; they found Tammy Palmer, who has two teenage sons with Eugene's son, dead on the ground behind her trailer, NBCNewYork.com reported.
Authorities have been combing the thick woods of the 46,000-acre Harriman State Park, which spans Rockland County and Orange County, in their search for Palmer. They believe Palmer is armed with at least one shotgun; at a news conference at the state park on Wednesday, Haverstraw Police Chief Miller said there is also "a lone rifle missing from his house. I don't know if he has that."
So far, clues have been sparse in the manhunt for Palmer. On Tuesday, authorities found Palmer's abandoned pickup truck at Harriman State Park, The Journal News reported. And on Wednesday, police said dogs followed his scent to leftovers of a campfire close to the truck in an area of the park known as the Irish Potato Trail, but they lost his scent afterwards, Miller said in Wednesday's news conference.
About 30 officers from Haverstraw were looking for Palmer on Wednesday, and authorities from nearby jurisdictions were also participating. The Department of Defense was sending infrared helicopters to track Palmer's body heat, Miller told reporters.
His family does not know whether Palmer, who is a diabetic and who suffered a heart attack about a year ago, brought any medication with him.
"I'm hopeful he is still alive," Miller said, adding police would like to "hear his side of the story."
Part of what makes the search difficult is Palmer's familiarity with the area. According to New York Times, Palmer was known as a loner to his neighbors. He would frequently go into the woods to camp and hunt on his own.
Palmer's dislike for his daughter-in-law was obvious to family members.
"He's been trying to look out for the kids, and her being a mother, didn't want him butting in. But him being a grandfather, thought it was his place, so they started to aggravate and annoy each other," his sister, Babcock, said, according to NBCNewYork.com. She said the feuding also was related to marital problems between Tammy and Palmer's son.
Tammy Palmer and John Palmer had been married for about 17 years, John Pannirello, Tammy's father, told The New York Times, but they separated five months ago, and in the past few weeks, they had been in a custody battle over the kids.
“He’s very coldhearted,” Pannirello told The Times of Eugene Palmer. “The detective says he won’t be surprised if something goes on between us and him, if he has guns with him. I just have a bad, bad feeling.”
Haverstraw police confirmed on Thursday they were still searching for Palmer, but said they would provide more details on Thursday's efforts later in the day.
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Leave a Comment:
I love the story intro, "A Diabetic Killer", so does that make him more dangerous? Circle the woods and throw Snicker Bars around the perimeter, he will come out soon enough.
Not more dangerous, but it means, eventually, he will have to come out of hiding to get insulin, or possibly die out in the woods from his diabetes.
They'll find him dead, but not from the diabetes. You heard it here first.
I used to work on a psych ward and on a few occasions some really nice people were brought in screaming and restrained because of blood sugar problems made them irrational and violent. So the diabetes could make him worse and may have something to do with him snapping. Don't count it out.
The irratable personality and violence is a common result of an unattended diabetic patient; my grandmother would not take treatment and she became very violent and refused to even reason with nurses or any family members; it is very dangerous and not a laughing manner.
If he doesn't take care of himself they might find him dead...you can tell from the picture that his skin was showing signs of his disease. I bet he doesn't take care of his diabetes as well as he should.
73 and diabetic, makes for a perfect hitman..........................I bet there's more to the story.
:)
Diabetic or not, he should have stayed out of his son and daughter-in-law's personal business. Let them deal with their own family issues. Now he's wanted for murder, but we all know he will probably kill himself. My condolences to the children and other family members.
I love the statement about him being cold hearted when the whole problem stems from his concern for his teen grandsons.
If he had any concern for his grandsons, he wouldn't have killed their mother. Those boys are guaranteed to have future mental problems. He sounds very cold hearted and calculating, be he's been planning this for months.
Looks like Tammy got what she had coming to her. AIN'T NO WAY he killed her unless she had it coming to her... read between the lines people. She had to have done something @!$%#ED UP to her Father-inlaw... think about it... she lives in a trailer?! So you know she is making smart life choices....
LOL I knew some moron like Timothy would blame the victim. You're just like the killer... an angry, bitter guy full of hatred....who blames everyone but himself for his problems and his mistakes. How pathetic you are to blame the victim when you have NO facts to back it up. It just shows that you are the same type of person... I pray to God you have not bred and that you never do.
Please tell me you're being sarcastic?
Stupid Troll brought to you by Timothy Lee from the Shady Oaks Trailer park.
"tz-3189354" Hahahah SWING AND A MISS! Too bad I am a level headed Iraqi War Veteran that knows someone doesn't pick up a gun and shoot their daughter in-law unless THEY HAVE A DAMN GOOD REASON. If you stop for a moment and think, people don't shoot people for no reason. Tammy had to have had it coming... she must have MUST HAVE done SOMETHING seriously messed up to draw this outcome from her Father in-law. I mean... she lives in a trailer? So I am sure her life is full of bad choices... pissing off her father in-law was the LAST bad choice she made it seems.
"IXLR8" I am not a stupid troll. You just can't grasp my logic in any intellectual fashion it seems... I was making valid points.... nice job trying to dismiss the other side of the coin. We don't need perspective we just need to hate the old guy... WRONG! The man had his reasons and I am sure though taking someone life has no excuse valid, I AM SURE she did something seriously messed up to invoke this kind of outcome on herself.
It's easy to see why TIMOTHY LEROY PALMISANO posted his disgusting rant: Do a little digging and here's what I found on his MySpace site: "...I'm recently divorced after wasting 4 years of my life on a lying, cheating, gold digging girl from Clinton..." So I guess he's still bitter and now blames ALL women who become victims. Truth is he was probably abusive - but, of course, it was HER fault and he had to 'straighten' her out. I pray Timothy will stay away from women until his anger management is well under control!!!
Seems to me the father-in-law was the one making poor life choices. This man didn't solve a problem; he created many not only for himself but for his grandchildren. The daughter-in-law may not have been a saint in the situation but that doesn't mean he had license to kill. Also, when I read between the lines I see the man's sister said he was the one interferring.
"He's been trying to look out for the kids, and her being a mother, didn't want him butting in. But him being a grandfather, thought it was his place, so they started to aggravate and annoy each other," his sister, Babcock, said, according to NBCNewYork.com.
hahaha that was written 2+ years ago. AND UNLESS YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH A DIVORCE don't try and take what i said and possibly spin some idea of why i said what i said. You can't understand the pain of wasting a marriage and 4 years of your life with someone. Have you been on a Deployment in a war zone? Have you? No... no you have not so don't try analyze me because you're not going in the right direction what so ever
"bobbi-1490797" I totally agree he didn't solve any problems. He sure as hell didn't have any reason what so ever to have done what he did...
Tim Leroy: Get help please. You're an ex vet. They can help with PTSD. Before you shoot someone thinking you're doing something right.
As for divorce? Try wasting 20 years and being totally screwed by your ex. You don't have a monopoly on pain. Again--get counseling and get on with your life. Try contributing to others instead of wallowing in your bitterness and hatred. Do YOURSELF (and others) a favor!
And BTW the trailer is 50 feet from her father-in-law's home. Why does that make this woman a villian?
PTSD? Timothy get help. There is no excuse, none, to take another persons life, unless it's self defense or war. Obviously this isn't either one. Trying to justify it just exposes your own lack of reason and sound judgement.
hahahhaha...you are either crazy or need to take your meds Timothy.
Troll....LOL
Timothy Lee, what a big F'in baby and loser. You were divorced because your an A Hole as proven here by your childish rants. Grow up and get over yourself or you will end up in Prison giving BJs every morning as you will not be so tough. For real dude, straight up. Don't end up as someones B.
hmmmmmmm. So much attention given to a psycho like Timothy Leroy. Obviously his wife made the correct decision in leaving. Lets just leave it at that.
Hopefully, your daughter doesn't piss off her future father-in law
Timmy, little boy, the only thing you're a veteran of is servicing the local adult theatre glory holes.
This is so sad for the children to know their Grandfather killed their Mother. Hope they find him before he goes after her family, it appears that could be a possibility. Hope the children get counseling they will need it. Sorry for their loss. Put this guy in prison for the rest of his life.
Exactly, he's been bickering with their mother and now he kills her? They will never forgive him. His thoughts weren't on his grandchildren they on his pride.
one thing's for sure - that MoFo ain't comin' out of those woods alive. It just goes to prove true something I've always believed............never trust a man with beady eyes
If she didn't like her father-in-law, why didn't she just move? Liked the free rent too much?Wouldn't her own family help her out? You would think that if she and her husband were at odds with each other, she would want to distance herself between him and his family as far as she could, not live right next door to his dad. Who knows what she did to provoke him? Or is everyone just assuming it was all his fault and nothing she did/said caused this tragedy.
If she was in a custody battle she may of had to stay until it was over. Sometimes you can't relocate even to another part of town until the judgment is done.
Especially if it is the property of her spouse. Likely when it is settled he would move back and she would've moved on.
And just because you are not getting along does not mean you feel someone would kill you.
Lock him up for life? Not much of a life left to lock up. He will suffer more in them woods. If he is captured and jailed, then the state and tax dollars will actually have to be use to keep the trash alive even longer.
Jeepers: Yeah right blame the victim (sarcasm). How about some personal accountability. You can't go around shooting people who "provoke" you.
If we could shoot people who provoke us, half the people on these posts would probably already be dead in the real world.
Get a grip.
Seek professional help.
Shelly,
We'd all be dead. We say the meanist things on this site, but are probably quite nice to people in the real world.
Why in the world would they want to find him alive? They will probably find him dead, in the woods, due to his diabetes, or another heart issue. He deserves worse, but he will go to hell anyways. Sad really. What a moron!
Also save the taxpayers a lot of money on court costs.
He made sure his son has custody of the kids. Hell of a way to do it tho
Yea but I bet they hate him for the rest or their lives!
Possibly have regret to their father as well for not helping things either. Divorces are uuugly..
Divorces are ugly, that's why people should be more careful with whom they choose to marry. But people keeps insisting on learning it the hard way.
Unfortunately the apple doesn't usually fall far from the tree, sometimes it does, but not usually.
Maybe the kids won't hate him I just found out my children think I'm an alcoholic hoarder. I did not know this about me until today. Maybe the teens are happy.
I guess he did it for his son. While he shouldnt have done it. I dont entirely blame him. The dad always gets screwed in custody battles, and I guess he didnt want to see that happen to his son.
His son does not have custody of his children, he was only just granted visitation rights to see his two children by the judge, while the parents of the victim are to maintain custody of them.
And I've got a bridge to sell you too!
Apparently, the 'diabetic' angle makes this more noteworthy than some run-of-the-mill old kook who killed his daughter-in-law. Why even bother to look? Dude will be dead in a day or so anyhow, if he's not already.
At least he paid his property taxes?
One less Romney voter to account for.
But hey, if he can make it to Philly or Texas he can still use his gun license to vote.
you are an idiotic bondacious foolimanic fool!
Oh gridlock...
Are you f*cking serious? Will you kill your neighbors and inlays if Obama doesn't win the election? I hope you do! Then you'll be in lockup for LIFE. Oops...there goes another Obama voter!
Hey Timothy Leroy Pissonyourself or whatever your name is. You are one angry bitter gentleman. And I think being in the service made you angrier. So are you saying what she did was justified for the father in law to kill her. What about parents who kill their children. That must be justified to because why else would they do it. You are sick.
I didn't know anger was a flavor vegan's were allowed to taste
Timothy the troll thinks by claiming to be a vey it makes his ignorance a little more bearable.It's like playing the race card or the anti semite card , now we get the iraqi vet card being played.What a waste of space you are Timothy , if you ever were married i fully understand why the women left you,...smart girl.
Timothy... what if that was your daughter? If she "had it coming to her" I suppose it would be okay of someone shot her?
Are you serious Elizabeth Chuck / NBC? Do you know how offensive it is to start your article by pointing out that the man is a diabetic? Most people know diabetics have a hard time controlling their behavior when their blood sugar level is too high or too low. In this case, it's irrelevant, as this man obviously has other deep seeded psychological issues. Any reference to diabetes should be removed from this article immediately. NBC and Elizabeth Chuck should be ashamed.
Rofl! You sound nuts.
Good one.
A manhunt for a 73-year-old diabetic
It's only a matter of time as he won't be able to sustain hiding without coming out of the woods from time to time.
Eventually they'll have him.
Note to diabetics... don't commit a crime, just don't. You have one heck of an achilles heel.
Hey That's What's up....eat me
Some older people at the end of their lives can't stand to see their children suffer through a broken marriage and loss of their children. My Grandmother who never had a bad thing to say about anyone and never broke the law in her entire life asked me if I thought it would be ok if she killed my Ex wife after she ended things and hooked up with another man.
I, of course said no because I couldn't stand the thought of my Grandma in jail for the last couple years of her life. The Ex dying didn't enter into it for me. She ruined the rest of her life all by herself and I had full custody of my Son quite soon after that odd conversation anyway.
Everybody deals with tragedy in their own way. Some just cope better than others.
Oh yes, this was motivated by a need to help the boys.........what a pig.
I'm also a fat old man with diabetes. I read the article with some fascination because I too have become chronically angry and homicidal. I never used to be that way. He probably figured she just needed killing. That's what I'd think. Curious how there's now some kind of invisible tipping point beyond which it seems perfectly acceptable to whack somebody when it would have been unthinkable in bygone times. Granted, we have to be predisposed to becoming unhinged I suppose, but diabetes appears to have a causal relationship to anger in diabetics. It's still indefensible, kind of like the twinkie defense from a few years ago. Oh well. Whadya gonna do. Run Eugene, run! Enjoy your last day or two.
I can't believe I recently watched an episode of Major Crimes and this is surely a case of life immitating art. The grandfather in the episode was similar to this man, and had guns etc, and there are some differences, but a whole lot of similarities as well. Wow. I wonder if he saw the show?
Another horrible story. What is it that people don't get? You can't kill someone just cuz they're all MAD. I know life sucks sometimes but that doesn't give you the right to murder. Idiot!
So where are all those "bleeding hearts" a few stories ago regarding the grandmother not obeying the police officer? "She's elderly.... it could have been a medical condition... she wasn't dangerous because she had gray hair...etc, etc, ad nauseum...."
Obviously anyone can be dangerous given the circumstances.
Marlie: Thank you. Well said.
That may happen to me when my FIL comes to visit next month and sees my Anti-Republican paraphernalia. LOL! Really, who is stupid enough to waste a vote on Romney...Sheesh.
How could he hate someone so much, kill that person who bore him is grandchildren, and now he may never see those grandchildren. He would have been better off just not having any contact with the woman but still see his grandchildren. And, what does him being a diabetic have anything to do with the murder? Unless..they're implying, if he was an insulin user, that without his insulin he will die??? So what? He killed someone for a very stupid reason: an eye for an eye!!
If you are diabetic and dont keep it under control, you can get increased anger problems. It may not be the case, but there is a chance the guy just went nuts.
all is very sad,may the rest of the familey stay strong for the children,and there father...
This is very sad...I have seen my own mother go through her diabetic angry stages...call me a skinny ugly crow...while at the same time, I know she thinks I am beautiful. I don't condone this murder and I know he thinks his life was coming to an end, but I do believe he thinks he was doing his son a service. I feel deeply for his grandsons and also his son who will all miss this 'old diabetic man' one way or the other. And of course, the boys will be without a mother for their entire lives! Please get therapy for these boys, they will need the help to recover from this tragedy.