Survivalist and Army veteran found dead after days-long manhunt for shooting wife in their Tennessee home

Published: 00:27, 7 May 2026 | Updated: 00:29, 7 May 2026 A days-long manhunt for a survivalist and Army Special Forces veteran accused of shooting his wife in their Tennessee home came to an end on Wednesday when he was found dead.  Craig Berry's body was located by the Stewart County Sheriff's Office's tactical unit and agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in a heavily-wooded area where US Marshals conducted an extensive grid search, NBC News reports.  The body was found just miles from his home in Dover, near an area where trail cameras last pictured him entering the woods on the night of his disappearance on May 1. Investigators now believe Berry died that night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to WTVF.  Hours earlier, authorities say, he shot at his wife - a local teacher whose name has not been released - striking her in the neck. The wife had told deputies that Berry beat her and tried to strangle her shortly before midnight, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by WGAL. She was able to get into her car, but Berry shot at her as she fled, she claimed. At that point, authorities said Berry got into his truck and attempted to chase his wife before crashing his vehicle.  He is then believed to have returned to the home to gather additional ammunition before fleeing into the woods before deputies arrived on the scene and recovered 11 shell casings. Craig Berry, an Army Special Forces veteran accused of shooting his wife, was found dead in the woods near his home in Dover, Tennessee on Wednesday  Berry had fled from the home after allegedly shooting at his wife A massive manhunt ensued through heavily forested terrain that included steep hills, snakes and ticks Berry is then believed to have called his parents, who have cooperated with authorities as their son faced charges of second-degree attempted murder, domestic assault, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of an accident.   Meanwhile, a massive manhunt ensued through heavily forested terrain that included steep hills, snakes and ticks. Over the course of several days, law enforcement agencies including the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, US Marshals and the Stewart County Sheriff's Office used helicopters and K9 units to try to track down Berry. But they warned that he was a retired special forces veteran with extensive training in survival tactics.  The vet is 'an excellent swimmer and diver, and is in good physical shape,' deputies added, noting that he was also armed with at least one handgun and was believed to have taken extra ammunition with him. As the search continued for the veteran on Tuesday, Berry's wife was released from the hospital, where Sheriff Frankie Gray said she overcame 'life-threatening' injuries. The sheriff said he did not want to speculate on 'problems' the couple may have been facing, but noted there was a possible 'financial situation.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.