Worcester Holds Services for Officer Kurt Solomon, 57, as Wife's Body Is Found Nearby

Q: With no history of domestic violence, what triggered a veteran officer's tragic death, and who owned the mysterious handgun found near his wife?

There is no confirmed public explanation for what triggered Kurt Solomon’s death, despite police saying the Solomons had no known history of domestic violence. Investigators have said only that they believe the case was a murder-suicide and are treating it as a domestic incident under Massachusetts law because it involved family members. Kurt Solomon, a 31-year Worcester police veteran, was found dead at the couple’s home with injuries caused by a sharp object. Karen Solomon was later found dead in woods near Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital, and police said preliminary evidence indicated she suffered a gunshot wound. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, what may have precipitated the violence, or details from the 911 call and remainers of the investigation are still pending with the medical examiner. As for the handgun found near Karen Solomon’s body, police have ruled out one possibility: it was not Kurt Solomon’s service weapon. Beyond that, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said investigators had not yet determined who owned the gun. So the weapon remains unexplained in the public record. What is established is narrow but significant: police believe Karen Solomon killed Kurt Solomon and then died by suicide, but the trigger for the episode and the ownership of the handgun have not been publicly determined.

3 articles · Updated · WCVB Boston · Aug 25

A wake for Worcester patrolman Kurt Solomon is being held Tuesday, with his funeral set for Wednesday, a day after authorities found a body believed to be his wife Karen Solomon in woods off May Street.
Chief Paul Saucier said investigators believe the deaths were a murder-suicide; a handgun was recovered near the body, but it was not Solomon's police weapon.
Karen Solomon had been sought since Aug. 19, when police issued a warrant charging her with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury after Solomon, 57, was found dead at home on Aug. 18.
The discovery came after a weeklong search centered on Coes Reservoir that closed nearby recreational areas, and the family said the couple's two adult sons had lost both parents within a week.