KAREN SOLOMON FOUND DEAD AFTER SIX-DAY MANHUNT — POLICE NOW CALL CASE A TRAGIC MURDER-SUICIDE

The six-day search for Karen Solomon, the Massachusetts woman wanted in connection with her husband’s death, has ended with a devastating discovery.

Solomon, 58, was found dead Monday in a wooded area behind Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital in Worcester, just days after her husband, veteran Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon, was found fatally injured inside their home.

A handgun was discovered near her body. Authorities said preliminary evidence indicates she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though the medical examiner must make the final determination. Police Chief Paul Saucier said investigators now believe the case was a “tragic murder-suicide.”

THE CASE BEGAN WITH AN EARLY-MORNING EMERGENCY CALL

Just before 5:30 a.m. on August 18, Worcester police responded to the couple’s Wildwood Avenue home after an emergency call.

Inside, officers found Kurt Solomon, 57, suffering from injuries involving a sharp object. He was pronounced dead.

Kurt had served with the Worcester Police Department for 31 years and was remembered as a veteran officer and father of two.

Karen was gone.

Investigators later obtained surveillance footage appearing to show her walking away from the area shortly after police were dispatched. Authorities eventually issued an arrest warrant charging her with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.

A MASSIVE SEARCH FOLLOWED

Karen was considered potentially armed, and law enforcement launched an extensive search involving local, state and federal agencies.

Investigators concentrated heavily around Coes Pond, deploying tracking dogs, drones, boats and dive teams.

Police also distributed images of Karen and asked residents to check security-camera footage and their properties.

Then, after nearly a week, the search took an unexpected turn.

Two people walking near Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital discovered human remains in a wooded area.

Police responded and said they believed the body was Karen Solomon. A final identification by the medical examiner was still pending.

 A HANDGUN WAS FOUND NEARBY

Investigators also recovered a handgun near the body.

Authorities said it was not Kurt Solomon’s Worcester Police service weapon.

Preliminary evidence led police to believe Karen had taken her own life, dramatically changing the direction of the investigation.

Chief Saucier cautioned that investigators still had work to do before every detail of the case could be established.

But police are now treating the deaths as a suspected murder-suicide.

 THE CASE HAS AN UNEXPECTED DIMENSION

Karen Solomon was not simply a suspect in a rapidly developing criminal investigation.

She was also a longtime advocate for the mental health of police officers and other first responders.

She co-founded First H.E.L.P., an organization dedicated to reducing mental-health stigma among first responders and supporting families affected by suicide and other tragedies.

She also wrote about the psychological challenges faced by law-enforcement officers and their families.

That background has added another layer of tragedy to a case that has shocked Worcester’s law-enforcement community.

 POLICE SAY THERE WAS NO KNOWN HISTORY OF DOMESTIC ABUSE

One detail officials have emphasized is particularly striking.

Chief Saucier said the Solomon family had no known history of domestic abuse and stressed that domestic violence was not known to be a factor in the case.

Authorities have not publicly released a complete motive or a detailed account of what happened inside the home before Kurt was found.

That leaves investigators with a series of unanswered questions:

What happened inside the home that morning?

What led to Kurt’s fatal injuries?

Why did Karen leave immediately afterward?

And what happened during the six days before she was found?

 TWO LIVES LOST — AND A FAMILY LEFT WITH QUESTIONS

The Solomon family has described the past week as devastating and thanked the law-enforcement agencies and community members who participated in the search.

Kurt’s police colleagues are also preparing to say goodbye to a man who spent more than three decades serving Worcester.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding both deaths continues.

The discovery of Karen Solomon may have ended the manhunt, but it has not erased the questions surrounding the final hours of the couple’s lives.

A veteran police officer. A first-responder mental-health advocate. A six-day search. And a case that authorities now believe ended in a devastating murder-suicide.

The search for Karen Solomon is over. The search for a complete explanation continues.