Kurt Solomon served Worcester police for 31 years, while Karen Solomon helped build an organization focused on mental health among first responders.
WORCESTER, Mass. — The deaths of a longtime Worcester police officer and his wife, a nationally known advocate for first-responder mental health, have brought an especially painful loss to communities connected to both law enforcement service and efforts to support officers in crisis.
Police said Monday they had found a body believed to be Karen Solomon, 58, six days after her husband, Worcester Police Patrolman Kurt Solomon, 57, was found dead. Police Chief Paul Saucier said investigators believe the case was a murder-suicide, while stressing that work remained to complete the investigation. A handgun was found near the body believed to be Karen Solomon, but formal identification and findings on the death were still pending with the state medical examiner.
Kurt Solomon spent 31 years with the Worcester Police Department. His death on Aug. 18 triggered an intensive investigation and search that drew local, state and federal law enforcement resources. Authorities said he suffered injuries involving a sharp object. His wife disappeared shortly after police responded, and investigators later identified her as a suspect and obtained a warrant charging her with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.
Karen Solomon was known beyond Worcester for work focused on the emotional toll faced by police officers and other first responders. She co-founded First H.E.L.P., an organization that has promoted mental health awareness and support for first responders and their families. She also wrote about the personal and psychological pressures connected to public-safety careers.
That background gave the case an unusual and difficult dimension. An advocate whose public work centered on suicide prevention and the well-being of first responders became the subject of a major police search following her husband’s violent death. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive, and the apparent circumstances described by police do not establish why the deaths occurred.
Investigators searched for Karen Solomon for nearly a week, releasing surveillance images and warning that she might be armed. Police, federal authorities and other agencies used drones, boats and tracking dogs as the search focused on sections of Worcester near the couple’s home and surrounding outdoor areas.
The search ended Monday after two employees of Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital reported finding a body in woods near the May Street facility. Saucier said officers responding to the area found a woman they believed was Karen Solomon. A handgun was nearby, he said, and it was not a Worcester police service weapon. Investigators had not publicly completed their determination of who owned it.
Police said several questions remained unresolved, including the precise timing and circumstances of Karen Solomon’s death. The medical examiner was expected to make the final identification and determine the cause and manner of death. Authorities also continued reviewing evidence from the investigation into Kurt Solomon’s death.
The Solomon family addressed the loss in a statement read by Saucier at Monday’s news conference. The family described itself as heartbroken and thanked the many people and agencies that participated in the search and investigation. The statement reflected both gratitude for the effort to find answers and uncertainty over whether every question surrounding the deaths will ultimately be resolved.
For the Worcester Police Department, the investigation unfolded alongside preparations to honor a colleague who spent more than three decades on the force. Kurt Solomon was a military veteran as well as a police officer, and colleagues remembered him as a deeply valued member of the department. His wake was scheduled for Tuesday, followed by funeral services Wednesday.
The case remained under investigation Tuesday. Police had described their central theory but had not announced a final medical examiner’s ruling or a complete account of the events leading to either death, leaving those determinations to the continuing investigative and forensic process.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.