A body believed to be that of Karen Solomon was found in a wooded area off May Street near Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital Monday afternoon, bringing the nearly weeklong search for the Worcester woman wanted in connection with the death of her husband, Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon, to an apparent end.
Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said during a Monday afternoon news conference that two Fairlawn employees walking in the woods discovered the body and alerted authorities at about 12:49 p.m. Saucier said investigators believe the woman is Karen Solomon, although a formal identification must still be made by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
A handgun was recovered near the body, Saucier said. The weapon was not a Worcester Police Department-issued firearm, and investigators are working to determine its ownership.
Saucier said investigators believe the deaths of Kurt and Karen Solomon were a murder-suicide, although he stressed that the investigation is not complete.
“We believe this case is a tragic murder-suicide that occurred, and we still have plenty of work to do as far as wrapping up all the pieces to this,” Saucier said.
He also sought to clarify authorities’ repeated description of the investigation as a “domestic incident,” saying that designation was based on Massachusetts law because the case involved members of the same family or household — not because there was a known history of domestic violence.
“At no time did the Solomon family have any history of domestic abuse,” Saucier said. “I want to make myself absolutely clear at this point. That has nothing to do with this case.”
The body believed to be Karen Solomon was found approximately six-tenths of a mile from the location where surveillance footage last captured her, Saucier said. He said the roughly 90-acre Coes Pond area had been a focus of the investigation since the search began and that police had been conducting expanding, concentric searches of the surrounding area.
Worcester police subsequently confirmed the discovery in an official statement Monday, saying “the remains of a female believed to be Karen Solomon were recovered in a wooded area off of May Street this afternoon.”
The discovery prompted a heavy police presence near Fairlawn, where officers restricted access to the property and reporters gathered in a lower parking area Monday afternoon.
It came six days after Kurt Solomon, 57, a 31-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department, was found dead early Tuesday at the Wildwood Avenue home he shared with Karen Solomon.
An arrest warrant had been issued for Karen Solomon, 58, on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. Saucier disclosed the warrant Friday during an update on the investigation. Authorities have said Kurt Solomon suffered fatal injuries from a sharp object and that his Worcester police service weapon was found inside the Wildwood Avenue residence.
In a statement released through Worcester police Monday, the Solomon family described the past week as a “nightmare” and thanked the numerous local, state and federal agencies involved in the search.
“The nightmare of the past week has left our family heartbroken and rudderless,” the family said. “The compassion, dedication, and empathy of all the agencies involved have given us light in the face of darkness.”
The family thanked Worcester police and Massachusetts State Police, along with Worcester and Holden fire departments, Auburn police and fire departments, Quincy and Scituate police, the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other federal partners.
“You men and women have taken time out of your lives to help us find answers, if there ever will be any,” the family said. “You have given us comfort knowing that you were working on our behalf, FOR us. God Bless you all.”
The family also thanked people in Massachusetts and elsewhere who offered prayers and condolences.
“For those in Massachusetts, and throughout the world who have offered up prayers and sympathies, they have helped us through each minute of the day,” the statement said. “Thank you for your basic human compassion.”
Kurt Solomon leaves two adult sons, Niklas T. Solomon and Brandon W. Solomon, according to his obituary in the Telegram & Gazette. Worcester police union President Thomas Duffy also spoke publicly about Solomon’s sons following his death, expressing condolences to them and other members of the officer’s family.
Karen Solomon had been missing since shortly before police found her husband dead Tuesday morning. Surveillance video released by Worcester police showed her walking away from the area of the couple’s home, dressed in shorts and flip-flops.
Police repeatedly warned during the search that Solomon should be considered armed and dangerous.
The search stretched across several areas of Worcester but became heavily concentrated around Coes Pond and the Mill Street area. Search crews used divers, police dogs, drones and other equipment as investigators combed the pond, surrounding woods and nearby neighborhoods.
Worcester officials closed Coes Pond parks and Stearns Tavern on Friday because of the ongoing investigation, and crews continued searching the area through the weekend.
Saucier said Monday that the wooded area where the body was ultimately discovered had been among the areas police intended to search as they continued expanding outward from Solomon’s last known location.
The investigation drew an extensive multi-agency response involving Worcester police, Massachusetts State Police and numerous other local, state and federal agencies.
Karen Solomon is the founder and president of First H.E.L.P., a nonprofit organization focused on reducing mental health stigma among first responders and supporting officers and families affected by suicide.
First H.E.L.P. acknowledged the investigation last week and expressed condolences following Kurt Solomon’s death, saying its “first concern is for the officer who lost his life, his family, his colleagues, and the Worcester law-enforcement community.”
The organization said its board would continue its programs and services and would not comment further on the circumstances of the active investigation.
Kurt Solomon was remembered by the New England Police Benevolent Association as “an incredibly dependable officer, colleague and friend” who had devoted more than three decades to the Worcester Police Department.
“Thirty-one years of service represents an extraordinary commitment to a community and to the profession of law enforcement,” NEPBA said in its statement last week. “Officer Kurt Solomon answered that call for more than three decades, and his service, friendship and dedication will not be forgotten.”
Saucier acknowledged Monday that finding the body brought a measure of closure to the search but said the emotional impact of the case on Kurt Solomon’s fellow officers is far from over.
“It’s been very difficult on the department, and it will continue to be,” Saucier said. “Now that we have somewhat closure, this is when it’s going to really affect the men and women of the police department.”
Saucier said mental health and wellness resources are available to officers and that he hopes members of the department will use them.
“We do have things in place for mental health wellness for the officers to take advantage of, and we’re hoping everyone does that because it is very difficult,” he said.
Monday’s discovery brought the intensive search for Karen Solomon to an apparent conclusion, though authorities were awaiting formal identification and investigators still had work to do to establish the circumstances surrounding both deaths.
Related content:
- Services set for Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon
- Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon identified as victim in Wildwood Ave. death
This is a developing story. The Worcester Guardian update as additional information is confirmed.
