Who Is Everett Palmer Jr.? New Details On The Army Vet Who Died In Police Custody — And Whose Organs Were Missing
How could this gruesome crime have happened?
Facebook He went to York County, PA, to answer an old misdemeanor warrant — and that was the last time anyone saw him alive. When his family got his body back, his organs were missing. Who is Everett Palmer Jr., and how could this tragedy have happened — and have been prevented?
There have been few cases, in recent memory, that have been as gruesome as the case of Everett Palmer, Jr., who was an Army veteran and an otherwise upstanding citizen. The Queens, New York native went to York, Pennsylvania, to answer an old and outstanding warrant, and was never seen alive again. When his body was returned to his family, a few of his vital organs were missing and cut out in a rather savage way.
Here’s what we know, so far, about the case.
1. The York County Coroner’s office is maintaining that his death was his fault
According to the York Daily Record, the coroner’s office is maintaining that this is all much ado about nothing. To put it simply, the coroner is claiming that Everett Palmer Jr.’s death is his fault.
“Coroner Pam Gay later stated that the cause of death was “complications following an excited state, associated with methamphetamine toxicity, during physical restraint.” Probable sickle red cell disorder was cited as a contributory factor. The manner of death was undetermined,” the outlet said.
What really happened to Everett Palmer Jr.?
2. Everett Palmer Jr.’s family is claiming he was murdered while in police custody
According to CBS News, while the York County Coroner is claiming that Everett Palmer Jr.’s removed organs was just a routine thing — they had to conduct an autopsy, after all — the Palmer family is claiming that he was murdered while in police custody. “The most frustrating part is my son being murdered and not having any answers to how he was murdered," Rose Palmer, Everett's mother, said during a press conference Tuesday in New York, according to the outlet. "Since April 9th, I have not had a good night sleep since I think about my child and the possible scenarios. It is torture. He didn't deserve this. He went there to check on his license and he never made it out."
Everett Palmer Jr. has been dead for more than a year and his family still has no answers.
3. The family’s claims are supported by an independent investigation
In a different report for the York Daily Record, a forensic pathologist hired by the Palmer family has determined that Everett Palmer Jr.’s death was not as the coroner tried to make it out to be. "They hired their own forensic pathologist, who stated that the manner of death should be homicide, which means death at the hands of another person. Law enforcement determines whether a crime was committed,” they wrote.
So, even though Everett Palmer Jr. may have been murdered, there’s a chance that no one will be charged in his death.
4. The Palmer family is getting ready to sue
According to CNN, the Palmer family has hired a prominent civil rights attorney, and they’re getting ready to sue York County for Everett Palmer Jr.’s death. His body was returned to them with his throat, heart and brain missing, and the family wants answers. "This entire case smacks of a cover-up," civil rights attorney Lee Merritt told CNN by phone. The family hired Merritt to help find answers because so far, they have been unable to get them on their own, they say. Merritt says prison and county officials have not been cooperative with providing an official manner of death,” said the outlet.
We will certainly keep you apprised of any details as they come up.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. Find her online at www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com.