Massachusetts woman suspected of killing police officer husband found dead

Karen Solomon had been missing for six days after her husband Kurt Solomon was found dead at their home

A mental health advocate suspected of killing her police officer husband was found dead on Monday, six days after she disappeared from her Massachusetts home, authorities said.

Karen Solomon, an advocate who called for improvements and greater awareness of police mental health issues, had disappeared after Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon was found dead at their home just before 5.30am on 18 August. Officials had named Karen Solomon a suspect and said she was believed to be armed.

“We believe this case is a tragic murder-suicide that occurred,” the Worcester police chief, Paul Saucier, said at a news conference Monday.

Two people who worked at Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital reported finding human remains nearby, and officers recovered a woman’s corpse, Saucier said. A final ID was still pending, but authorities said they were confident it was Karen Solomon.

A handgun found near her body was not a Worcester police service weapon, and investigators were working to determine who owned it.

On 19 August, authorities released doorbell camera footage of Karen Solomon walking down a street in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, just minutes after officers responded to the couple’s home and found her husband’s body.

Kurt Solomon, who had served 31 years with the police department, was mortally injured with a sharp object, authorities have said.

Worcester county district attorney Joseph Early Jr said Karen Solomon had been at the house on the morning of her husband’s death, and investigators were looking to question her. An arrest warrant issued over the weekend charged her with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Police handed out flyers with her photo to drivers in the area. An intensive law enforcement search that included local, state and federal agencies centered on the area near the couple’s Worcester home and a reservoir about a mile (1.6km) away. Authorities had deployed drones, boats and tracking dogs.

Karen Solomon, 58, co-founded the group First Help, which advocates for the mental health of police officers. She also wrote two books – Hearts Beneath the Badge and The Price They Pay – about the physical and psychological experiences of first responders.

In a 2020 interview on the Dr Phil show with Phil McGraw, she said police departments often offered little help to the families of officers who took their own lives.

In a statement read by Saucier during Monday’s news conference, the Solomon family thanked law enforcement for helping them find some answers.

“The nightmare of the past week has left our family heartbroken and rudderless,” the family said. “The compassion, dedication and empathy of all agencies involved have given us light in face of darkness.”

A wake for Kurt Solomon was scheduled for Tuesday, and his funeral for Wednesday, the police chief said. The local police union president, Thomas Duffy, described him as “a tremendous human being” who was like family.