Donald Edward Hamer Jr.
Donald Edward Hamer Jr., 56, was a devoted father to his sons Robert and Rick, and he worked for almost 30 years in the tooling industry. His family said he loved camping, diving, NASCAR and Chicago sports, which he passed on to his children. He was held at the McHenry County jail in September 2022, was taken to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital on Sept. 25, and died there on Oct. 9. McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein attributed his death to end-stage liver disease from cirrhosis and classed it as natural, while a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by his family against Wellpath, the jail's medical provider, its staff, McHenry County and the sheriff says his declining condition in the jail was not properly treated or monitored. The sheriff's office said Hamer was not in custody at the time of his death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The McHenry County coroner ruled the death natural from end-stage liver disease due to cirrhosis, while his family's wrongful-death lawsuit alleges his declining condition in the jail was not properly treated or monitored.
Reported by: McHenry County Coroner Michael Rein (medical examiner or coroner); his family's wrongful-death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Wellpath, its staff, McHenry County and the sheriff over his care at the McHenry County jail, and no settlement or award amount is reported.