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The FBI Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force announced Wednesday, May 29, that Palmer, 80, has been added for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in the alleged murder of his daughter-in-law in September 2012, said the FBI.
Investigators say Palmer allegedly shot and killed Tammy Palmer, 39, outside her home near Willow Grove Road in Stony Point. He then left the scene in a pickup truck, which was later found near Harriman State Park, the FBI said.
Rockland County’s District Attorney charged Palmer with second-degree murder in 2012. Investigators believe Palmer fled the area after the murder, so they requested FBI assistance.
“When detectives and prosecutors realized Palmer most likely left New York State after the murder, they asked for our help and we filed a federal warrant. That warrant allows our agents all over the United States and the world to investigate, and opens up a vast number of resources to find Eugene Palmer and bring him to justice,” said William F. Sweeney, assistant director-in-charge of the New York Office of the FBI. “We can’t bring back Tammy Palmer, but we hope finding the man who is accused of murdering her will offer some solace to the grieving family.”
A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to Palmer’s capture.
Although some members of his family have asserted that he likely died in the Harriman woods, Haverstraw Police Detective Michael Cruger said no body was found during multiple searches, and he believes Palmer is very much alive.
The victim of the shooting was married to Eugene Palmer’s son and lived with their two children close to several members of the Palmer family on a large parcel of land.
According to the Haverstraw Police Department and the FBI, Eugene Palmer developed a strained relationship with Tammy Palmer as her marriage to Eugene’s son deteriorated.
On the morning of September 24, 2012, Tammy Palmer walked her children to catch the school bus at the end of the property’s long driveway, the FBI said.
Eugene Palmer was believed to have been hiding in the woods, and as she walked the driveway back toward her home, Palmer allegedly shot at her from a distance, striking her arm and then missing her with a second shot. The third, fatal shot was delivered at close range to the victim’s chest, they added.
FBI New York Special Agent Andrew Fisher said that after the shooting, Eugene Palmer fled into the wooded 45,000-acre state park that borders the family property:
“He drove his truck about 100 yards into Harriman State Park and walked in," said Andrew Fisher, special agent, FBI New York. “His age doesn’t change the level of violence in this crime."
Law enforcement located his vehicle, and with the help of search dogs, followed his scent to a campground in the woods. The dogs lost the scent at another roadway in the park.
Fisher says the fact that Palmer is a senior citizen does not make him less of a risk or less of a priority to law enforcement.
Palmer is believed to be armed and dangerous. He is 5’10”, with brown eyes and gray hair. His left thumb is deformed. He is known to be an experienced hunter and avid outdoorsman, with an interest in cars and auto racing. Investigators believe Palmer has ties to upstate New York and Florida.
Anyone with information concerning Palmer should take no action themselves, but should immediately contact the nearest FBI office or local law enforcement agency. Tips can also be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov/.
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