Who is Craig Chamberlain? Military launches probe after army man's trans wife found dead amid his 'willful' disappearance
KILLEEN, TEXAS: An Army base in Texas has launched an investigation into the suspicious death of a transgender woman whose body was found a day before her missing soldier husband was found alive. Cameron Chamberlain was found dead in their off-base Killeen house on May 25, days after desperately searching for her husband Craig Chamberlain, a Fort Cavazos soldier who ‘willfully’ disappeared for more than 10 days.
Army criminal investigators are currently in charge of the probe into Cameron’s death because she died in an Army member's residence. However, Fort Cavazos has not yet provided information regarding the specifics of her death, including its cause and manner. "The III Armored Corps is deeply saddened to hear of the death of Cameron Chamberlain, the spouse of Army Spc Craig Chamberlain. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Cameron Chamberlain,” an Army official said in a statement.
Who is Craig Chamberlain?
Spc Chamberlain is a Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) soldier, who stopped showing up for duty in March. After lying about reporting to the military station in Texas for two months, he left their Killeen home on May 15 and failed to show up for 11 days. Following his disappearance, Cameron reported him missing to the police and to the base. In her statement, she noted that Chamberlain had abandoned her with no money, and had missed so many car payments that their vehicle was repossessed. She pleaded with him to come home safely, as did his parents, who were shocked to find that he hadn't been reporting for work in months, according to DailyMail.
As search efforts for the missing soldier continued, a representative for Fort Cavazos informed 25 News that based on the data acquired by military investigators, the army has determined that Craig "willfully absented himself from the Army." Officials desperately searched for Chamberlain until his mother Virginia, revealed that her son had been found alive a day after Cameron's death. Virginia did not share details pertaining to his disappearance, but told Daily Beast that he had "bruises'' on his body when he was found by a ''civilian team." She also mentioned that the Army was taking care of the missing soldier's medical requirements.
Why did Craig Chamberlain disappear?
Virginia also mentioned that his son's marriage was on rocky grounds in the days leading to his disappearance. While adamantly denying that she was aware of the precise causes of her son's abduction, she stated that Chamberlain and Cameron had a tense relationship at one point. The couple met a few years ago through a dating app and were married in 2020, according to her Facebook page. Cameron also talked about her tense marriage in an interview following Chamberlain’s disappearance. She disclosed that her husband struggled with depression and changed completely after the marriage.
"When I met him, he was a carefree, loving, laid-back person. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He had no hate in his heart. He was a happy man," she told KWTX. Cam also revealed that she had become suicidal after being left alone by her husband with no money to pay for food. ''I have nothing to eat. I've been asking so-called friends for some grocery money on the cash app and nobody can be bothered. The army told me there was nothing they can do. I'm suicidal,'' she said in one text to a friend. The absconded soldier has not yet spoken publicly about his disappearance and Cameron’s death.
