Police fear a Scots woman and her husband found dead at their home in France may have been tortured before their deaths, as new details are released.
The bodies of Andrew and Dawn Searle, who were both in their 60s, were found at their property in Les Pesquiès, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, on Thursday, February 6. French police are now investigating the circumstances as unsettling rumours and theories circulate.
Officers believe the couple could have been murdered by an organised crime gang from the UK, as Andrew Searle was previously involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.
He spent over 20 years working for the Serious Fraud Office and police, investigating organised crime groups involved in financial crimes such as money laundering, including ‘sanctions screening’ – checking individuals and groups who might be banned from dealing in the UK due to links with drugs traffickers, rogue nations or terrorist organisations. It is believed he would have been known to global organised crime groups due to his job.
Originally from West Sussex, he worked in Scotland for several years, latterly at a major bank in Edinburgh. His wife Dawn was a project manager, originally from Musselburgh, East Lothian.
The Mirror reports that police have looked into the theory that they were targets of a “burglary gone wrong” after being pursued by British criminals. They have now disclosed the chilling circumstances in which Mr Searle’s body was discovered.
He was discovered hanged inside the house with a gag in his mouth. No weapon was found nearby, suggesting he may have been tortured before being killed. Dawn was found nearby, naked and having suffered a wound to her head. She was lying by the front door with jewellery scattered around her, which suggests she may have been trying to flee when she was attacked by an intruder or intruders.
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A source close to the enquiry revealed the grisly details to French media outlet La Dépêche. They said: “The wife’s body was first discovered, completely naked, in front of the door of the house. Around the unfortunate woman, jewellery was found scattered, testifying to a great disorder. In the house, the husband’s body was discovered hanging with a gag stuck in his mouth.”
A forensic doctor working alongside authorities in Montpellier arrived at the scene on Thursday. After carrying out an initial examination of the bodies, it is believed he did not find any bullet or knife wounds. While full post-mortem examinations are being carried out and no cause of death has been confirmed yet, investigating sources previously said enquiries were centred around a possible burglary gone wrong.
The source added: “A criminal enquiry has been launched and the fear is that the couple were murdered. They were very fit, and very popular locally, but there is a theory that they were being pursued by criminals from the United Kingdom. This is currently the prioritised line of enquiry, because Mr Searle was once involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.”
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