Authorities are seeking 58-year-old Karen Solomon for questioning and have warned that she is presumed armed and dangerous.
WORCESTER, MA — Local, state and federal authorities continued searching for Karen Solomon after an off-duty Worcester police officer was found dead early Tuesday at a Wildwood Avenue home, prompting a major law enforcement response across the city.
The officer was identified by his police union as Kurt Solomon, 57, a 31-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department. Police Chief Paul Saucier said officers responded to Wildwood Avenue at about 5:28 a.m. Tuesday for a report of a person down and found a man dead. Authorities later determined that the man was an off-duty Worcester officer. Investigators have not publicly disclosed the cause or manner of his death.
Authorities are seeking Karen Solomon, 58, for questioning about what occurred at the home. Saucier said she is presumed armed and dangerous. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. described her as a suspect Tuesday but emphasized that investigators want to question her about the events inside the residence. No criminal charge against her was announced in the reporting reviewed through early Wednesday.
Police said Karen Solomon was last seen on foot heading toward Westcott Street while wearing pajama shorts and a tank top. Authorities warned people not to approach her. The search expanded through the day Tuesday, with officers and K-9 teams checking areas near the Wildwood Avenue neighborhood and investigators focusing attention on the area around Coes Pond and Mill Street.
The operation drew assistance from the Massachusetts State Police, including its air wing, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service. Saucier said the FBI had also offered assistance. Police issued a reverse emergency alert covering residents in an area around the scene as officers searched for Solomon.
Early said investigators were treating the death as a domestic incident and were limited in what they could publicly disclose about the relationship between the people involved. CBS Boston reported, citing sources, that Karen Solomon and Kurt Solomon were married. Public biographical information about Karen Solomon has also described her as married to a police officer. Authorities themselves had not publicly detailed that relationship as the investigation continued.
Kurt Solomon had served with the Worcester Police Department for 31 years and had two adult sons, according to the New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911. Union President Thomas Duffy described him as a loved and respected member of the department and said his death was being felt across the police force. The union said it planned to make resources available to department members as they dealt with the loss.
Karen Solomon has worked for years on mental health issues involving police and other first responders. She founded First H.E.L.P., an organization focused on first-responder mental health, suicide awareness and support for families. She has also written about the experiences of police officers and their families. Her professional background has no established bearing on the circumstances of Kurt Solomon’s death, which remained under investigation.
Investigators spent Tuesday gathering evidence and canvassing the neighborhood while executing a search warrant at the Wildwood Avenue residence. Officials had not released details about any weapon, evidence recovered from the home or what caused the officer’s death. Saucier said authorities were focused on finding Karen Solomon and determining what happened inside the residence.
The search remained active as Wednesday began. Authorities had not announced an arrest or publicly established how Kurt Solomon died, and investigators continued seeking Karen Solomon for questioning in the case.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 19, 2026.