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 said two employees at Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital reported finding a deceased person in the woods near the facility at approximately 12:40 p.m.
“Upon further examination, we believe this person to be Karen Solomon,” police said during a Monday news conference at Worcester police headquarters, stressing that the identification remains preliminary.
Investigators also recovered a handgun near the body, authorities said.
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The discovery came nearly a week after Solomon, 58, vanished following the death of her husband, Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon.
Police had been searching the Coes Pond area near Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital and had previously searched the same area on Aug. 20.
Karen Solomon had been sought since Kurt Solomon was found dead inside a Wildwood Avenue residence 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 inside the home.
Worcester police later released surveillance video and photographs of her as the search stretched into multiple days, warning the public that she was believed to be armed and dangerous.
The department said Solomon was last seen in pajama shorts and a tank top walking toward Westcott Street. A police spokesperson told Fox News Digital last week that she was still believed to be armed and the case remained a “very active investigation.”
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Police have disclosed few details about what happened inside the residence, citing the ongoing investigation and domestic violence-related restrictions.
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.”
