Worcester police say preliminary evidence links the deaths of veteran Officer Kurt Solomon and his wife in an apparent murder-suicide.
WORCESTER, Mass. — A body believed to be that of Karen Solomon was found in a wooded area near a rehabilitation hospital Aug. 24, six days after her husband, longtime Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon, was found dead at the couple’s home, authorities said.
Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said investigators believe the deaths of Kurt Solomon, 57, and Karen Solomon, 58, were connected in what police described as an apparent murder-suicide. Karen Solomon had been sought in connection with her husband’s death, and an arrest warrant had been issued charging her with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Police emphasized that forensic work remained unfinished, including formal identification of the body and official findings from the state medical examiner.
Kurt Solomon, a 31-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department, was found mortally injured at the couple’s Wildwood Avenue home shortly before 5:30 a.m. Aug. 18. Police said his fatal injuries involved a sharp object but did not publicly identify the object or release a detailed account of what investigators believe happened inside the home. Authorities later said Karen Solomon had been at the residence around the time her husband was found.
Investigators began an intensive search for Karen Solomon after surveillance footage showed her walking away from the area shortly after officers responded to the home. Police warned that she could be armed. Local, state and federal agencies joined the search, which included drones, boats, police dogs and teams examining areas around Coes Pond and nearby neighborhoods. Authorities also distributed her photograph while asking the public for information about her whereabouts.
Before the search ended, authorities obtained an arrest warrant accusing Karen Solomon of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. The charge was an allegation and was never adjudicated. Investigators had been seeking to question her about Kurt Solomon’s death, and authorities had not publicly announced a motive for what happened.
Shortly before 1 p.m. Aug. 24, two employees of Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital reported finding a body in woods near the May Street facility. Officers responding to the area also recovered a handgun nearby. Saucier said the weapon was not a Worcester police service firearm. He said investigators were confident the body was Karen Solomon’s, although the identification remained preliminary pending review by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Saucier said preliminary evidence indicated Karen Solomon died by suicide and that investigators believed her death was connected to her husband’s. “We believe this case is a tragic murder-suicide,” the chief said during an Aug. 24 news conference. Police nevertheless said more investigative and forensic work was needed before authorities could complete their findings. The medical examiner is responsible for formal identification and official determinations of cause and manner of death.
Karen Solomon was known nationally for work involving the mental health of police officers, first responders and their families. She founded First H.E.L.P., a nonprofit organization focused on reducing stigma surrounding mental health, supporting first responders and helping families affected by suicide. The organization’s website identifies Solomon as its founder and president and credits her with writing books and articles about the mental and physical pressures faced by law enforcement officers and their families.
Kurt Solomon, meanwhile, was remembered as a longtime public servant with deep ties to Worcester. He had served in the U.S. Army before beginning his police career and spent 31 years with the Worcester Police Department. His obituary said he was a father of two who enjoyed golfing, fishing, biking, gardening and other outdoor activities. City Manager Eric D. Batista called Solomon a valued member of the community whose decades of service had made a lasting impact on the city.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers, relatives and community members gathered Aug. 26 for Kurt Solomon’s funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Parish. Police officers lined the street as his casket arrived, and those who knew him remembered his service and ties to the community. His family had earlier thanked the local, state and federal agencies involved in the investigation and search during what relatives described as a devastating period.
The discovery near Fairlawn ended the nearly weeklong search for Karen Solomon but did not immediately close the investigation. As of Sept. 2, publicly available reports continued to describe the deaths as an apparent murder-suicide based on the Worcester Police Department’s preliminary findings. No subsequent public medical examiner ruling reviewed for this report had changed that account, and final forensic determinations remained pending.
Author note: Last updated September 2, 2026.