Manhunt in Worcester after off-duty police veteran found dead at woman’s home

Worcester, Massachusetts, police are searching for a 58-year-old woman they say may be armed after an off-duty officer with more than three decades on the force was found dead at her residence on Wildwood Avenue. The department issued a public alert identifying Karen Solomon as the subject of the manhunt and warned residents not to approach her.

The deceased officer, Kurt Solomon, was a longtime Worcester Police Department veteran. The New England Police Benevolent Association identified him and described him as an “incredibly dependable officer, colleague and friend” who dedicated his career to serving the Worcester community. He is survived by his sons Niklas and Brandon, his mother Shirley, and his brothers Karl and Eric.

Police have not publicly stated how Kurt Solomon died. They have not announced formal charges against Karen Solomon. But the scope of the response, a state police helicopter overhead, a special emergency response team combing nearby woods, signals that authorities are treating this as far more than a routine death investigation.

What Worcester police have said

The department’s alert said officers were seeking Karen Solomon “regarding the death of a male at her residence.” It added a blunt warning: “There is concern she may be armed.” Police urged anyone who spots her to avoid contact and call 911 or the Worcester Police Department tip line at 508-799-8606.

Karen Solomon was last seen wearing pajama shorts and a tank top, walking toward Westcott Street. Fox News Digital reported that Massachusetts State Police were assisting in the search, including the helicopter deployment, citing CBS Boston’s coverage. A special emergency response team was brought in to sweep the woods near the Wildwood Avenue home.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Worcester District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police, and the Worcester Police Department for comment. None had responded at the time of publication.

The NEPBA confirmed that the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kurt Solomon’s death “remains active and that authorities are working to locate the individual being sought.” The union did not elaborate on the nature of the death or the evidence prompting the search.

A three-decade career on the force

Kurt Solomon spent his adult life in a Worcester police uniform. The department described him as a 30-year veteran; the NEPBA put the figure at 31 years. Either way, he was among the most experienced officers on the force, the kind of cop neighbors recognize on sight.

One unnamed neighbor, speaking to CBS Boston, called him an “awesome guy” and said he regularly saw the officer walking around the neighborhood. That description tracks with the NEPBA’s tribute, which painted a picture of a steady, dependable presence inside the department and in the community he served.

The death of a veteran officer under these circumstances carries a weight that extends beyond one department. Across New England and the country, law enforcement families understand how thin the line is between routine life and tragedy. A Virginia deputy was recently killed during a welfare check that turned into an ambush, a reminder that danger follows officers even on calls that seem ordinary.

Karen Solomon’s public profile

The woman at the center of this manhunt is not an unknown figure in law enforcement circles. In a 2016 interview with WBZ-TV, Karen Solomon described herself as married to a Worcester police officer and said she had made it a personal mission to tell the stories of men and women in uniform.

She told the station she was inspired to write her book “Hearts Beneath The Badge” after her son came home from school and asked why someone had told him that police “kill people for no reason.” She said she wanted to highlight the good deeds officers perform, from buying meals to saving lives and putting themselves in danger for others.

Karen Solomon also authored a second book, “The Price They Pay,” which focused on what she described as the darker side of policing. She developed a website called 1stHelp.Net, designed to connect first responders in crisis with resources. In the WBZ-TV interview, she noted that many officers she spoke with did not know where to seek help or were afraid to do so.

That public record, a woman who built a brand around advocating for police officers and their families, makes the current manhunt all the more striking. The S1 source does not explicitly confirm that Karen Solomon and Kurt Solomon are married, but her 2016 statement that she was married to a Worcester police officer, combined with the shared surname and shared Wildwood Avenue address, draws the connection tightly.

What remains unknown

Authorities have left critical questions unanswered. The cause and manner of Kurt Solomon’s death have not been disclosed. Police have not said whether Karen Solomon is classified as a suspect, a person of interest, or something else entirely. They have not explained the basis for their concern that she may be armed.

The gap between the public alert and the available facts is wide. A death investigation, a warning about a potentially armed subject, a helicopter, a tactical team in the woods, those are the actions of a department that believes it is dealing with something serious. But without a public statement on cause of death or formal charges, the full picture remains locked inside the investigation.

That silence is not unusual in the early hours of a major case. In a recent Michigan case, details about a father who killed his wife and six children emerged only after the initial chaos had cleared. Investigators often hold back information to protect the integrity of an active search.

Still, Worcester residents, and the broader law enforcement community, deserve answers as soon as the investigation allows. A veteran officer is dead. The woman police are looking for had deep ties to the world of policing. And the department’s own alert makes clear this is no accident.

A community on edge

Worcester is a working-class city that takes pride in its first responders. Losing an officer under any circumstances hits hard. Losing one this way, at home, off duty, under circumstances so unclear that police will only say a woman connected to the address may be armed, lands differently.

The tragedy echoes other recent losses in law enforcement that have shaken communities. An Arkansas officer drowned saving his fiancée just hours after proposing to her. A Massachusetts state trooper was killed by a wrong-way driver who had been served nine drinks at a bar. Each case is different. Each one leaves a hole in a department and a family that never fully closes.

For now, the manhunt for Karen Solomon continues. Massachusetts State Police and Worcester officers are searching by air and on the ground. The NEPBA has asked for the public’s help. And a neighborhood on Wildwood Avenue is trying to make sense of how a man who spent 30-plus years protecting his city ended up the subject of a death investigation at his own home.

When the people who write books about protecting cops become the people cops are searching for, something has gone deeply wrong, and the public deserves to know exactly what.