Tragic End to Massachusetts Search: Missing Woman Discovered Deceased After Officer Husband’s Death

Authorities have uncovered the body of a woman in the woods of Worcester, Massachusetts, on Monday. The individual is believed to be Karen Solomon, the missing spouse of a veteran police officer from the city who was found dead just last week. Near the body, investigators recovered a handgun, according to official reports.

Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier shared that the grim discovery was made by two employees from Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital. The staff members stumbled upon the body while taking a walk around the vicinity of the facility at approximately 12:40 p.m.

“As we looked into the matter, we have reason to believe the deceased is Karen Solomon,” Saucier announced during a press briefing. He underscored the fact that this identification remains tentative and will need confirmation from the medical examiner’s office.

The investigation suggests that Solomon’s death was a result of suicide. Preliminary findings indicate she sustained a gunshot wound, as revealed by Chief Saucier. A handgun was retrieved near her remains; however, it was clarified that this weapon was not linked to law enforcement service.

The department now believes the case was a “tragic murder-suicide,” though the investigation remains ongoing, Saucier said.

Karen Solomon, 58, had been missing since her husband, Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon, was found dead inside the couple’s Wildwood Avenue home on Aug. 18.

Police responded to the residence at about 5:28 a.m. after receiving a report of a person down and found the off-duty Worcester police officer dead inside, authorities said. His cause and manner of death have not been released.

Authorities initially said Karen Solomon was a suspect they wanted to question about what happened at the home and warned that she was believed to be armed and dangerous.

The woman’s body was found about 0.6 miles from an area where police had released video showing Solomon walking behind an animal clinic, Saucier said. The Coes Pond area and park, which police had been searching since the first day of the investigation, spans about 90 acres.

Saucier said investigators cannot yet say when Solomon died. Police did not receive any reports of a gunshot being heard Monday, he said.

The chief also pushed back on speculation surrounding domestic violence. The case was described as domestic under Massachusetts law because it involved family or household members, he said, but added that the Solomon family had no history of domestic abuse.

The Solomon family said the “nightmare of the past week” had left them “heartbroken and rudderless” in a statement read by Saucier.

“The compassion, dedication and empathy of all the agencies involved have given us light in face of darkness,” the family said, thanking local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that joined the search. “You have given us comfort knowing that you were working on our behalf for us.”

Police have disclosed few details about what happened inside the residence, citing the ongoing investigation.

Public records reviewed by The Associated Press show Kurt and Karen Solomon co-owned the Wildwood Avenue residence. Kurt Solomon also identified Karen Solomon as his wife in a 2016 bankruptcy filing, according to the AP.

The New England Police Benevolent Association identified Kurt Solomon as a 31-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department and remembered him as an “incredibly dependable officer, colleague and friend.”

“Thirty-one years of service represents an extraordinary commitment to a community and to the profession of law enforcement,” the association said. “Officer Kurt Solomon answered that call for more than three decades, and his service, friendship and dedication will not be forgotten.”

The investigation remains ongoing.