WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A woman who started a group that advocates for the mental health of police officers was being sought by authorities Wednesday after a Massachusetts cop was found dead at the home they owned together.
Police began searching for Karen Solomon, who also wrote two books about the physical and psychological experiences of first responders, after Worcester police officer Kurt Solomon was found dead Tuesday. The two shared a home and had been married, court records indicated, but authorities declined to discuss their current relationship, citing domestic violence privacy rules.
The Worcester Police Department said Wednesday that Karen Solomon, 58, was believed to be armed. They released doorbell camera footage of her walking down a street in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops early Tuesday morning, just minutes after officers responded to a call from the home.
Police declined to identify the dead officer, but the local police union president, Thomas Duffy, said it was Kurt Solomon, a 31-year veteran of the department.
“When you serve 31 years with an individual, you become more than coworkers. You become family, and today we lost a member of our family,” Duffy told reporters on Tuesday. “Just a tremendous human being."
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said Karen Solomon had been at the house early Tuesday and investigators wanted to talk to her about what happened. Police handed out flyers with her photo to drivers in the area Wednesday morning.
Local, state and federal agencies were involved in the search.
Records show the Solomons own the home and that Kurt Solomon named Karen Solomon as his wife in a 2016 bankruptcy case.
Karen Solomon is a co-founder of an organization called First H.E.L.P., the organization said in a statement Tuesday night.
The group “is dedicated to honoring the service of first responders who have died by suicide, supporting their families, reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental-health assistance, and increasing awareness of mental-health challenges within the law-enforcement and first-responder communities,” it said.
“Our first concern is for the officer who lost his life, his family, his colleagues, and the Worcester law-enforcement community,” the group said in its statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy.”
An author bio on Amazon said that since 2014 Karen Solomon “has been giving a voice to the thousands of officers in the field who can’t or won’t speak out.” Her books include “Hearts Beneath the Badge” and “The Price They Pay.”
This screen grab made from video provided by WCVB-TV shows a police officer standing guard over a home in Worcester, Mass., Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (WCVB-TV via AP)
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks signed cornerback Trevon Diggs on Wednesday.
A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press the contract is expected to be a one-year deal. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the terms hadn't been announced.
Diggs is a two-time Pro Bowler coming off a season in which he was waived by the Dallas Cowboys and released by the Green Bay Packers. In joining the Super Bowl champions, the 27-year-old hopes to more closely resemble the player who had an NFL-leading 11 interceptions and earned All-Pro honors in 2021.
“I’m looking to show that I’m still the best,” Diggs said. “I’m looking to show that I just want to win and be there for my teammates and be a great teammate and be a great player.”
The Seahawks brought in Diggs less than a week after the team entered an agreement with cornerback Terrion Arnold, whose status for the 2026 season is uncertain.
Arnold is facing eight felony charges stemming from allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men in February. He became a free agent in June, when the Detroit Lions released him a few days after the kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy charges were levied.
Arnold will be placed on the commissioner's exempt list when he signs. He will not be permitted to play or practice while the league investigates his case but can be paid and attend team meetings.
Wide receiver Julian Hicks was waived to make room for Diggs on the 90-man roster.
Diggs should add depth to a secondary that lost cornerback Riq Woolen to free agency and has been without second-year safety Nick Emannwori, who had offseason ankle surgery, during training camp.
In 2025, Diggs played six games for Dallas before sustaining a concussion in an accident at home on Oct. 16. He didn’t explain the cause of the injury to reporters until two months later, when he said he got hit in the head when he was mounting a pole while trying to install a TV.
“It was tough, but just keeping good people around you (helps),” Diggs said of his recovery. “My family is a great support system for me, keeping my mental straight. Just keep going.”
Even after Diggs cleared the concussion protocol, he remained off the field with what the Cowboys described as lingering knee issues. Diggs then returned for two games before getting waived in late December.
He joined the Packers just before their final regular-season game. He played nearly half of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in his Packers debut as the team rested its starters in a 16-3 loss at Minnesota. But he was on the field for only one snap when the Packers lost 31-27 at Chicago in an NFC wild-card playoff game.
Diggs made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 but his performance has declined since, in part because of two major knee surgeries. He declared himself healthy on Wednesday.
“It’s my first offseason that I’ve been able to just not rehab and actually do offseason training,” Diggs said. “So, a lot of trainers put the work in, helped me put the work in to get to where I’m at today.”
Diggs has played in 71 NFL games, including playoffs, since the Cowboys took him with the 51st pick in the 2020 draft out of Alabama.
The Seahawks fielded arguably the NFL’s best defense last season. No team allowed fewer points per game (17.2), and Seattle finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.
Diggs has been teammates previously with Seattle cornerback Josh Jobe and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.
“It was just finding somewhere that felt like home,” Diggs said. “Finding somewhere that I’ll have the opportunity to compete, have the opportunity to play. It felt right.”
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
FILE - Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) walks along the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Dec. 21, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
