Wife of police officer who was found dead is considered ‘armed and dangerous,’ chief says

Worcester Police Issue Warrant for Wife of Fallen Officer as Weekend Search Intensifies

Healfromzero.com – A Massachusetts woman who co-founded a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the mental well-being of law enforcement officers is now the subject of an active arrest warrant following the death of her husband, a veteran Worcester police officer discovered lifeless at their shared residence earlier this week. Authorities have described Karen Solomon as armed and dangerous and have closed multiple recreational areas and beaches across the city for the duration of the weekend search.

Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier announced at a Friday press briefing that the warrant charges Solomon with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury. He noted that while the officer’s department-issued sidearm was accounted for at the scene, the suspect nonetheless remains presumed to be carrying a weapon.

“Right now, we’re continuing our search. We will not stop until we find her either way, here or somewhere else.”

Dispatch Recordings Reveal Early-Morning Timeline

Audio from Worcester dispatch, obtained through independent reporting, provides granular detail about the sequence of events at the Wildwood Avenue property on Tuesday morning. First responders were sent to the address at approximately 5:28 a.m. Eastern Time on a report described as a “medical person down.” By roughly 5:30 a.m., an officer on scene communicated that visible blood was present inside the structure — specifically in the bathroom and toward the rear of the home.

The recordings capture dispatchers attempting to reach the female resident who had initially reported the incident. When they called back, the answering machine identified the number as belonging to Karen Solomon. Police have not publicly confirmed that Solomon herself placed the original 911 call. Dispatchers noted repeated unanswered attempts to reach the number.

One dispatcher asked whether the caller was male or female. A colleague responded: “It was a female. Her voicemail on her phone is Karen Solomon.”

Shortly after the initial response, a gray 2023 Toyota Highlander registered to the homeowners was reported missing from the area, triggering a be-on-the-lookout alert at approximately 6:19 a.m. ET. The recordings do not identify who is believed to be operating the vehicle.

Investigation Details Remain Limited

Saucier confirmed that the officer’s injuries involved a sharp object but declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation. Authorities have likewise withheld the contents of the 911 call and any information about a potential motive. Court records indicate the couple had been married, though officials declined to characterize their current relationship, citing domestic-violence privacy statutes.

The timing embedded in the dispatch audio aligns with the department’s own public account of the initial response, lending corroboration to the sequence of events as described by the chief.

A Career Spanning Three Decades

Kurt Solomon, 57, served more than three decades with the Worcester Police Department before his death. He was also an Army veteran and a father of two sons. Colleagues and community members remembered him as a devoted gardener who took particular pride in his vegetable plot and regularly donated surplus produce to a local food bank. His stated pleasures included fishing, golf, and what one tribute described as “simply sitting on his deck with a cup of coffee.”

The New England Benevolent Association, a labor organization representing law enforcement personnel across the region, described Solomon as “known as an incredibly dependable officer, colleague and friend.” His obituary noted that he would be remembered for his years of service to country and community, his quick wit, and the quiet contentment he found on the street where he had lived his entire adult life.

Community Mourns as Search Continues

Worcester Mayor Joe Petty posted a tribute on Instagram, recalling the officer’s “caring personality and the warm smile with which he always greeted me at City Council meetings.” Petty added that those small, everyday interactions spoke to the character of the man and that he would be greatly missed.

At Friday’s briefing, Saucier offered a personal remembrance:

“Kurt was a hell of a guy. He was an awesome police officer and an awesome person and he’s going to be truly missed. The Worcester Police Department is hurting right now and we’re hoping we can bring closure to the family.”

The chief described the officer’s family as “going through a lot right now” and called the situation “very difficult.” A wake is scheduled for Tuesday, with the funeral to follow on Wednesday, Saucier confirmed.

The closure of nearby parks and shoreline areas underscores the scale of the search operation. For a department of Worcester’s size, losing a long-tenured officer under circumstances that now carry criminal charges against a family member represents both a profound institutional wound and a complex investigative challenge. The advocacy work Solomon co-founded — aimed at ensuring officers receive mental-health support — adds a layer of institutional irony that colleagues have noted in private remarks, though no official statement has addressed that dimension of his legacy.

As of Friday’s briefing, no further updates on Solomon’s location had been released. The department reiterated that the search would continue without pause until she is located.