The police in Worcester, Mass., said on Monday that they believe a body discovered in the woods belongs to Karen Solomon, a woman suspected of killing her husband last week.
The police had issued a warrant for Ms. Solomon’s arrest last week in connection with the death of her husband, Kurt, whose body was found inside their home, kicking off a six-day search.
“We believe this case is a tragic murder-suicide that occurred, and we still have plenty of work to do,” Chief Paul Saucier, of the Worcester Police Department, said during a news conference on Monday. A handgun was recovered near the body, he said.
Ms. Solomon, 58, had spent years as an activist advocating for the mental health of police officers and other frontline workers. Mr. Solomon, 57, was a police officer.
Two employees of Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital in Worcester discovered the body on Monday in a wooded area during an afternoon walk, Chief Saucier said. The police preliminarily identified the body as Ms. Solomon’s, but the medical examiner’s office has to provide confirmation.
Early last Tuesday, the police responded to the Solomon residence for reports of a “person down,” whom they later determined was an officer, Chief Saucier said during a news conference last week.
Ms. Solomon was named a suspect in the case after the local authorities released a photo and video compilation that showed her walking in pajamas and flip-flops minutes after officers had responded to her home. The police issued a warrant for her arrest tied to assault and battery charges.
As of Monday, few other details about the circumstances of Mr. Solomon’s death had been made public. Chief Saucier has said that domestic violence laws prevent the police from sharing more information, but he clarified that “at no time did the Solomon family have any history of domestic abuse.”
The police have said that other people were at the Solomon residence at the time of the officer’s death, but have not released their names.
The chief read a statement from the Solomon family on Monday: “The nightmare of the past week has left our family heartbroken and rudderless.” The family also said that prayers from people around the world “have helped us through each minute of the day.”
Efforts to reach relatives of Ms. Solomon on Monday were not successful.
Ms. Solomon was known in the law enforcement community for her advocacy work, which included two self-published books about police officers and post-traumatic stress disorder. She was the founder of a Massachusetts organization called First H.E.L.P., which aims to fight the stigma surrounding the mental health of emergency workers, prevent suicide and assist families who have lost relatives under such circumstances.
“No words can adequately convey the depth of grief surrounding this tragedy,” First H.E.L.P. said in a statement on Saturday. “We continue to hold the Solomon family, and all those whose lives have been forever changed, in our thoughts and prayers.”
Ms. Solomon also lobbied for the Public Safety Officer Support Act, passed in 2022, which expanded a federal benefits program to cover mental health injuries, disabilities from trauma and deaths by suicide for first responders.
Mr. Solomon worked for the Worcester police for 31 years, according to the New England Police Benevolent Association, a police union. Funeral services for him are set to begin on Tuesday.
“We need more police officers with his mind-set, his decorum and his attitude,” said Herbie Duggan, 45, who is a friend of Mr. Solomon’s and a former law enforcement officer.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
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