Police Mental Health Advocate Sought in Death of Her Worcester Officer Husband

A Manhunt With a Haunting Twist

Authorities are searching for Karen Solomon, the co-founder of a group that advocates for the mental health of police officers, after Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon was found dead at the home they owned together on Tuesday, August 19. The case has gripped Massachusetts and the broader law enforcement community — not only because of the violent nature of the incident, but because of who Karen Solomon is and what she has dedicated her life to.

Karen Solomon wrote two books about the physical and psychological experiences of first responders and helped start First H.E.L.P., an organization that advocates for their mental health. In 2020, Solomon participated at a Justice Department hearing of the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, where she testified on a panel devoted to support for officers and their families. That someone so deeply embedded in the world of police welfare now stands at the center of a murder investigation is a jarring contradiction that has left colleagues and advocates stunned.

What Investigators Know — and What They Won't Say

Police responded just before 5:30 a.m. on August 19 to the Solomons' home on Wildwood Avenue for a call about a medical situation, and Kurt Solomon was found dead at the home. Saucier said Kurt Solomon, a 31-year veteran officer, was mortally injured with a sharp object — he wouldn't say what. Authorities have been careful with details, but the broad strokes of what they've released paint a grim picture.

Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said at a news conference on Friday, August 22, that the arrest warrant charges Karen Solomon with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon with serious bodily injury. She is considered armed and dangerous, the chief said, though Kurt Solomon's service weapon was not missing from the home. Karen and Kurt Solomon shared a home and had been married, court records indicated, but authorities declined to discuss their current relationship, citing domestic violence privacy rules.

A Desperate Search Across Worcester

Karen Solomon, 58, was last spotted in a doorbell camera video, walking down a street in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops early Tuesday morning, just minutes after Worcester police officers responded to a call from the home where Kurt Solomon was found dead. Worcester dispatch recordings offer details about the response to the Wildwood Avenue home, including reports of blood inside the house, attempts to reach a female 911 caller, and a missing SUV.

The city of Worcester said Friday that public spaces around Coes Pond will remain closed as a search involving dive teams and police dogs continues. Federal law enforcement agencies have joined in the search , and as of today, Sunday, August 23, Karen Solomon remains at large. Chief Saucier has been unambiguous about the department's resolve: "Right now, we're continuing our search," Saucier said. "We will not stop until we find her either way, here or somewhere else."

A Community Mourning One of Its Own

Patrolman Solomon was a 31-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department and has two adult sons. "Kurt was a hell of a guy," the chief said at the news conference. "He was an awesome police officer and an awesome person and he's going to be truly missed." A wake is scheduled for Tuesday and his funeral on Wednesday, the chief said.

The painful irony at the heart of this case — a prominent advocate for police mental health now accused of killing a police officer — raises uncomfortable questions about what may have unfolded behind closed doors. Domestic violence, as investigators know well, does not discriminate by profession or public profile. As the search for Karen Solomon enters its fifth day, Worcester waits for answers, and a department mourns a colleague while one of its own case files grows darker by the hour.