A SUSPECTED armed woman who is being hunted after a veteran cop was found dead spent years helping troubled officers and writing about police suicide.
Karen Solomon, 58, authored two books about law enforcement and founded an organization dedicated to supporting first responders before she became the subject of an urgent manhunt.
Solomon is wanted for questioning after off-duty Worcester Police patrolman Kurt Solomon, 57, was found dead at a Massachusetts home early Tuesday.
Authorities have not confirmed the pair were married because of restrictions surrounding domestic violence cases.
But sources told Boston CBS affiliate WBZ-TV that Karen was Kurt’s wife, while her own biography describes her as the wife of a police officer.
Years before his death, Karen had made supporting cops and their families a major part of her work.
She is the founder and president of First H.E.L.P., an organization aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health among first responders and raising awareness of suicide.
Her biography on the group’s website says she wrote Hearts Beneath the Badge and The Price They Pay, as well as numerous articles about law enforcement suicide.
Her work reportedly focused on the families left behind when officers die by suicide – as well as cops struggling with the feeling they have nowhere to turn.
In 2023, she was given the Community Hero Award by the Greg Hill Foundation for fighting “tirelessly” for first responders, according to the organization.
Karen was also a member of the 2018 Officer Safety and Wellness Group Meeting and served as co-chair of the Data and Research Committee of the National Consortium on Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention.
Her biography says she also worked on an FBI task force implementing the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act.
Karen had previously spoken publicly about her efforts to help cops.
In a 2016 interview with WBZ-TV, she discussed developing an app for officers in crisis and her book Hearts Beneath the Badge, which also highlighted positive stories involving police.
“I’m going to tell some stories about all the good things people forget they do,” she said.
“They buy meals, they save people’s lives, they put themselves in jeopardy.”
She also said during the interview that she was married to a Worcester police officer.
It comes as Karen remains on the run after Kurt, a 31-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department, was discovered dead.
Cops raced to a home on Wildwood Avenue shortly before 5.30am Tuesday following a report of a person down.
Kurt, who was off duty at the time, was found dead inside.
His cause of death has not been revealed and authorities have not publicly accused Karen of killing him.
But Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. has described her as a suspect and said investigators want to question her about what happened, the Boston Globe reported.
“She was at the house,” Early said.
Police Chief Paul Saucier warned Karen “is presumed to be armed and dangerous”.
She was last seen on foot heading toward Westcott Street while wearing pajama shorts and a tank top, according to cops.
Residents within a 2.5-mile radius were reportedly sent a reverse 911 alert as authorities scrambled to find her.
Local and state cops have been joined by the U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the sprawling search.
The FBI has also offered assistance.
Saucier said: “We all come together and we try to make sure we have a resolution.”
Authorities were also executing a search warrant at the Wildwood Avenue property as the investigation continued.
Early previously said of the hunt: “You got a person in the neighborhood, in the area, presumed to be armed and dangerous, you want to do everything you can to find that person as quickly as possible and also find out what happened in the house that evening.”
Police have urged members of the public not to approach Karen if they spot her and to instead immediately contact authorities.
The investigation remains in its early stages.
