A six-day search for Craig Berry, accused of shooting his wife, ended Wednesday when authorities found his body with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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A six-day manhunt that drew national attention and marshaled a sweeping array of law enforcement resources came to an end Wednesday when authorities discovered the body of Craig Berry, the retired U.S. Army Special Forces veteran accused of shooting his wife in a domestic attack last week.
The Stewart County Sheriff’s Office announced the discovery on social media.
“During search today Stewart County Sheriff’s Office SWAT, along with TBI agents, located the body of wanted subject Craig Berry,” the sheriff’s office said. “Initial indications show he died due a self inflicted gunshot wound.”
The U.S. Marshals Service also confirmed Berry was dead “and no longer a threat to the public.”
Authorities did not provide further details on where Berry was found or how long he is believed to have been dead.
Berry, 53, was wanted on suspicion of attempted murder after he attacked his wife at their Tennessee home and shot her as she tried to drive away on the night of April 30. Investigators said 11 shell casings were recovered from the scene. Berry’s wife was struck but managed to continue driving away to get help. Berry then got into his truck and attempted to chase her before crashing the vehicle. Investigators believe he returned to the home to gather additional ammunition before fleeing into the woods.
His wife, who suffered a neck wound, has been released from the hospital, according to CNN. Stewart County Schools confirmed she is a teacher in the district and said the incident did not occur on school grounds.
The search had been complicated from the start by Berry’s extensive survival training background. An Army spokesperson confirmed Berry served as an infantryman and Special Forces medical sergeant from 1992 to 2016, leaving as a sergeant first class. The former Green Beret was wanted on charges of second-degree attempted murder, domestic assault, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of an accident.
Authorities had described him as a survivalist capable of enduring the dense wilderness of Stewart County indefinitely. Search crews contended with steep hills, deep ravines, snakes, ticks and rain that forced investigators to scale back efforts at points during the operation.
Law enforcement agencies including the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals and the Stewart County Sheriff’s Office used helicopters, K-9 units, trail cameras and grid searches during the operation. Investigators also searched unoccupied summer homes and rentals in the area, and authorities had raised the possibility that Berry could have crossed into the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area — a contiguous stretch of roughly 175,000 acres of undeveloped forest.