Manhunt for Massachusetts woman ends with grim discovery week after police officer husband found dead at home

The body of a woman believed to be Karen Solomon, the missing wife of a veteran Worcester, Massachusetts, police officer found dead last week, was discovered in city woods Monday with a handgun nearby, authorities said.

Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said two Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital employees discovered the body while walking near the facility at about 12:40 p.m.

"Upon further examination, we believe this person to be Karen Solomon," Saucier said at a news conference, stressing that the identification is preliminary and still must be confirmed by the medical examiner.

Police said they believe Solomon died by suicide, Saucier said, adding that preliminary evidence showed she had a gunshot wound. Investigators recovered a handgun near her body, but Saucier said it was not a service weapon.

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The department now believes the case was a "tragic murder-suicide," though the investigation remains ongoing, Saucier said.

Karen Solomon, 58, had been missing since her husband, Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon, was found dead inside the couple’s Wildwood Avenue home on Aug. 18.

Police responded to the residence at about 5:28 a.m. after receiving a report of a person down and found the off-duty Worcester police officer dead inside, authorities said. His cause and manner of death have not been released.

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Authorities initially said Karen Solomon was a suspect they wanted to question about what happened at the home and warned that she was believed to be armed and dangerous.

The woman’s body was found about 0.6 miles from an area where police had released video showing Solomon walking behind an animal clinic, Saucier said. The Coes Pond area and park, which police had been searching since the first day of the investigation, spans about 90 acres.

Saucier said investigators cannot yet say when Solomon died. Police did not receive any reports of a gunshot being heard Monday, he said.

The chief also pushed back on speculation surrounding domestic violence. The case was described as domestic under Massachusetts law because it involved family or household members, he said, but added that the Solomon family had no history of domestic abuse.

The Solomon family said the "nightmare of the past week" had left them "heartbroken and rudderless" in a statement read by Saucier.

"The compassion, dedication and empathy of all the agencies involved have given us light in face of darkness," the family said, thanking local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that joined the search. "You have given us comfort knowing that you were working on our behalf for us."

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Police have disclosed few details about what happened inside the residence, citing the ongoing investigation.

Public records reviewed by The Associated Press show Kurt and Karen Solomon co-owned the Wildwood Avenue residence. Kurt Solomon also identified Karen Solomon as his wife in a 2016 bankruptcy filing, according to the AP.

The New England Police Benevolent Association identified Kurt Solomon as a 31-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department and remembered him as an "incredibly dependable officer, colleague and friend."

"Thirty-one years of service represents an extraordinary commitment to a community and to the profession of law enforcement," the association said. "Officer Kurt Solomon answered that call for more than three decades, and his service, friendship and dedication will not be forgotten."

The investigation remains ongoing.