diff --git a/src/Illuminate/Support/helpers.php b/src/Illuminate/Support/helpers.php
index 62c8bb16aff7..673dba38f3d1 100755
--- a/src/Illuminate/Support/helpers.php
+++ b/src/Illuminate/Support/helpers.php
@@ -484,6 +484,14 @@ function data_set(&$target, $key, $value, $overwrite = true)
             } elseif ($overwrite || ! isset($target->{$segment})) {
                 $target->{$segment} = $value;
             }
+        } else {
+            $target = [];
+
+            if ($segments) {
+                data_set($target[$segment], $segments, $value, $overwrite);
+            } elseif ($overwrite) {
+                $target[$segment] = $value;
+            }
         }
 
         return $target;
diff --git a/src/Illuminate/Validation/Validator.php b/src/Illuminate/Validation/Validator.php
index 2b24fd96cbd4..74ff5d02ecd9 100755
--- a/src/Illuminate/Validation/Validator.php
+++ b/src/Illuminate/Validation/Validator.php
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ protected function initializeAttributeOnData($attribute)
             return $data;
         }
 
-        return data_fill($data, $attribute, null);
+        return data_set($data, $attribute, null, true);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/Support/SupportHelpersTest.php b/tests/Support/SupportHelpersTest.php
index f91127ff74fe..e093ab50c9ae 100755
--- a/tests/Support/SupportHelpersTest.php
+++ b/tests/Support/SupportHelpersTest.php
@@ -502,6 +502,16 @@ public function testDataSet()
             ['foo' => ['bar' => 'boom'], 'baz' => 'kaboom'],
             data_set($data, 'foo.bar', 'boom')
         );
+
+        $this->assertEquals(
+            ['foo' => ['bar' => 'boom'], 'baz' => ['bar' => 'boom']],
+            data_set($data, 'baz.bar', 'boom')
+        );
+
+        $this->assertEquals(
+            ['foo' => ['bar' => 'boom'], 'baz' => ['bar' => ['boom' => ['kaboom' => 'boom']]]],
+            data_set($data, 'baz.bar.boom.kaboom', 'boom')
+        );
     }
 
     public function testDataSetWithStar()
diff --git a/tests/Validation/ValidationValidatorTest.php b/tests/Validation/ValidationValidatorTest.php
index f26aa08d16e6..ac91c5a55c1d 100755
--- a/tests/Validation/ValidationValidatorTest.php
+++ b/tests/Validation/ValidationValidatorTest.php
@@ -2112,6 +2112,10 @@ public function testValidateImplicitEachWithAsterisksForRequiredNonExistingKey()
     {
         $trans = $this->getRealTranslator();
 
+        $data = ['companies' => ['spark']];
+        $v = new Validator($trans, $data, ['companies.*.name' => 'required']);
+        $this->assertFalse($v->passes());
+
         $data = ['names' => [['second' => 'I have no first']]];
         $v = new Validator($trans, $data, ['names.*.first' => 'required']);
         $this->assertFalse($v->passes());