A week later, search still under way for 73-year-old accused of killing his daughter-in-law

A massive manhunt is underway in upstate New York for Eugene Palmer, who is suspected of killing his daughter-in-law outside her home last Monday and fleeing to nearby Harriman State Park. NBC's Mara Schiavocampo reports.

A massive manhunt for a 73-year-old wanted for the murder of his daughter-in-law continued in upstate New York, where police are still searching for Eugene Palmer in the thick woods of a 46,000-acre state park. 

Search teams including officers, dogs and a helicopter have been looking for Palmer around the clock for the past week, after his truck was found in the Harriman State Park area. Bloodhounds traced his trial to a campsite, before the trail went cold.

"The woods are too thick for a general sweep," Haverstraw Police Chief Charles Miller said last week. "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."

Authorities hunting for 73-year-old accused of killing his daughter-in-law

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.


"She doesn't deserve to be dead," Tammy's mother, Violet Pannirello, told NBC News.

Flyers are posted all over the park to inform visitors about Palmer, whom police say is armed and dangerous.

"I'm concerned, but I'm not overly terrified, but I still don't want to be outside alone, or anything," area resident Allison Potanovic told NBC News.

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.

Eugene Palmer, a former truck driver, is an avid hunter who loves the outdoors. His family says he knows every inch of the woods in the area, but Palmer also has diabetes and has recently suffered a heart attack.This week, officials started sending out cadaver dogs.

"It's a very difficult place to survive. He's been out there seven days, if he is still here, he'd have to be very adaptable to these types of conditions in order to survive that long," New York State Park Police Maj. David Herrick told NBC News.

NBC's Elizabeth Chuck contributed to this report.

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Discuss this post

Traced his trial?

    Reply#1 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 11:22 AM EDT

    No wonder they are having such a hard time finding a geriatric fugitive. Where's Lord Baltimore when you need him?

      #1.1 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 11:36 AM EDT

      Afternoon Bill,

      I just saw the film this past Saturday - one of my favorites! "Who are those guys..." They had some great one liners throughout the story.

        #1.2 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:57 PM EDT

        Hopefully the cadaver dogs will find him.

        • 2 votes
        #1.3 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 3:23 PM EDT

        I don't know the circumstances, but the truth can be very elusive at times.

        A longtime girlfriend of mine would frequently go nuts and attack me. Like a dumbass, I stayed with her for 3.5 years.

        One day she fell off a porch as I stepped aside because she came running at me. Shee fell off and cracked her head on the ground. I went to jail for 93 days for that, and was over 40, and had no police contact in my life before that other than a couple of tickets.

        She was high on cocaine and alcohol when I came home from work. I was trying to stop her from substance abuse, and gave up. I was only leaving when she ran off the porch. I have never struck a woman in my life.

        I was arrested for domestic assault and battery.

        I won't even pretend to know the whole truth here.

        • 6 votes
        #1.4 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 10:27 PM EDT

        @out of the woods,

        actually, you were supposed to let her attack you bro. then take the abuse charge, lol. i had a similar relationship, more than one till i learned my lesson. 1st time i acttually asked the woman DA if she was high on drugs, then accused her of it when she told me i was going to be jailed and charged, lmao! didnt go over well, but to this day, no matter what, i will not take the comment back, nor appologise.

        as for finding this guy? chances are he might have already killed himself, or died from a diabetic meltdown.

        abusive relationships remain abusive, no matter how much heart, work, and love to toss in the mix. 1st sign of it, best to just walk away, because in the end, a short time on the street is well better than the waste of time in such a relationship.

        • 1 vote
        #1.5 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 4:39 AM EDT

        Come on now. We all know that only women can be victims. Never men. Its what all those smart feminists keep telling us.

          #1.6 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 1:02 PM EDT
          Reply

          He paid his property taxes? I guess he didn't want to lose the land while he was in prison. Maybe he is dead and it will save us taxpayers a huge amount of money for his trial and incarceration.

          • 5 votes
          Reply#2 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 11:22 AM EDT

          My thoughts, Dr...

            #2.1 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 10:16 PM EDT
            Reply

            "It's a very difficult place to survive. He's been out there seven days, if he is still here, he'd have to be very adaptable to these types of conditions in order to survive that long,

            Its easier living out in the woods, than it is living this rat race.. Anyone with some basic woodsmanship skills and mediocre gear can live out there. One of the reasons why more and more people are doing it..

            • 3 votes
            Reply#3 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 11:32 AM EDT

            Sam: That's a fact. If he doesn't need insulin for his diabetes and his heart holds out he could last a while. This man liked the woods and is apparently no stranger to that area. We don't know, he may have what he needs to survive out there or he could have some help.

            • 1 vote
            #3.1 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 1:21 PM EDT
            Reply

            Another jerk with a gun. That's the way to solve those pesky divorce issues.

            • 6 votes
            Reply#4 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 11:39 AM EDT

            It certainly is when you are dealing with a psycho-bitch.

            This article, like most regarding estranged members of the family, is going to omit facts or they would appear to justify the murder.

            • 1 vote
            #4.1 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 8:35 AM EDT

            He probably saw the woman destroying his sons' life like what happens to most men in divorce. It may have been too much for him to take. He shouldn't have killed her, but I cant blame him all that much.

              #4.2 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 1:06 PM EDT
              Reply

              Did I miss it? What was the motive?

                Reply#5 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:14 PM EDT

                He was "angry" because she took out an order for protection against his son.

                • 3 votes
                #5.1 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:16 PM EDT

                He was "angry" because she took out an order for protection against his son.

                Oh really, didn't get that part of the story.

                Nice of him not to let her down and prove her suspicions that he was indeed a threat to her son.

                • 1 vote
                #5.2 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:24 PM EDT

                AMUSED MUSE... you must have abetter source of information. I went back and reread this article and it doesnt say a thing about an 'order of Protection'.

                what it does say is;

                they separated five months ago, and in the past few weeks, they had been in a custody battle over the kids

                GOLDFISH - you been interjecting in way too many articles. You should start reading what you wrote before posting.

                prove her suspicions that he was indeed a threat to her son.

                there was nothing said that he was a threat to her son.

                • 4 votes
                #5.3 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 4:03 PM EDT

                Goldfish, apparently your reading comprehension skills need improvement.

                • 1 vote
                #5.4 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 8:37 AM EDT
                Reply

                What a monster! No wonder he turned tail and ran!

                • 3 votes
                Reply#6 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:16 PM EDT

                He's sexy. That whole mustache-less Amish beard. Chicks dig that. Now he has the whole bad boy image going on too. You know, murderer on the run. Chicks dig that as well.

                I am predicting marriage offers, and a prescription of Viagra in his future.

                • 1 vote
                Reply#7 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:22 PM EDT

                ew

                • 1 vote
                #7.1 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 8:07 AM EDT
                Reply

                She probably divorced the son, took half his $hit and got the house and was the local town pump and dad wasn't havin it! IMO

                • 2 votes
                Reply#8 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:24 PM EDT

                Took half his trailer....on his dad's property...what paradise for a gold digger.....

                • 3 votes
                #8.1 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 11:35 PM EDT
                Reply

                Well, her parents ultimately got the children, so neither of them are "havin' it," now. That worked out well. P.S., this piece of work earlier pled guilty to threatening a male DEC agent - and not motive was ever established for the threats.

                http://www.lohud.com/article/20120928/NEWS/309280109/Eugene-Palmer-threatened-kill-DEC-officer-1985

                • 4 votes
                Reply#9 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 3:36 PM EDT

                Its possible his son did it and the Dad is taking the rap.

                • 3 votes
                Reply#10 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 4:01 PM EDT

                You may be right paganpondered

                • 3 votes
                #10.1 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 4:25 PM EDT
                Reply

                When did Haverstraw or Harriman move to "upstate NY"?? Nothing south of Catskill is considered "upstate" by people who live therein the rest of the state. The man is definitely a "down-stater"

                • 2 votes
                Reply#11 - Tue Oct 2, 2012 6:45 PM EDT

                Seriously, Harriman is a suburb of NYC.

                  Reply#12 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 8:08 AM EDT

                  What a cowardly piece of crap.

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#13 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 12:51 PM EDT

                  In my opinion, Eugene resented the fact that Tammy got a restraining order against his son, John. That would have meant that John couldn't come within 500 feet of his own dad's place and he was probably living there in the house with his dad and able to see his kids all the time until the restraining order was filed. Who knows if John Palmer was beating his wife, I haven't seen anywhere that she filed charges against him for abuse. What a terrible ordeal for those kids. It is hard enough seeing mom and dad divorce but now mom is dead and grandpappy is gone with bloodhounds on his "trial".

                  • 1 vote
                  Reply#14 - Wed Oct 3, 2012 3:57 PM EDT
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