Retired special forces veteran sought after shooting wife, Tennessee manhunt expands

A second-degree attempted murder warrant was obtained for Craig Berry as search teams widened their hunt across Stewart County, Tennessee, after deputies said he allegedly shot his wife and fled into nearby woods before they reached his Dover home.

The Stewart County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a domestic altercation at Berry’s residence around 1:30 a.m. on May 1, 2026. Berry, who investigators say is a retired special forces veteran with extensive survival training, was gone when deputies arrived. His wife was taken to a medical facility, but her condition has not been publicly disclosed.

Authorities have described Berry as a difficult search target. The sheriff’s office said he is very familiar with the area, is an excellent swimmer and diver, and is in good physical shape. Investigators believe he may be armed with at least one handgun and extra ammunition. He was last seen near River Trace Road, wearing camouflage in a trail-camera image released by investigators.

The search has drawn in the U.S. Marshals Service, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as local deputies continue to sweep land and waterways in and around Dover. Sheriff Frankie Gray said crews are focusing on the area from Gray’s Landing on Kentucky Lake to Highway 232, an expansive stretch that reflects both Berry’s mobility and the terrain he knows well.

Officials said they are also not ruling out the possibility that Berry received outside assistance after the shooting. That possibility has added another layer to the investigation, which has shifted from a single-home response into a broader manhunt spanning roads, woods and shoreline access points around Old Paris Highway and River Trace Road.

Additional reporting identified Berry’s wife as Paulette Redman, a teacher at Stewart County High School. Sheriff Gray has said she worked at the school, underscoring the domestic violence context at the center of the case and the ripple effect on a close-knit rural community already watching an armed search unfold nearby.

Authorities have not said when Berry may have crossed into the woods or how far he may have traveled, but they have made clear the search could take time. With a new warrant in hand and multiple agencies involved, the hunt for Berry remained active as deputies pressed through an area where every creek, trail and tree line could matter.