Detectives cannot rule out whether or not a killer is on the loose after a Scots mum was found dead alongside her husband in rural France.
Dawn Searle, 56, and her husband, Andrew, 62, were found dead in the small hamlet of Les Pesquies, near Villefranche-de-Rouergue last Thursday. Post-mortems have since been carried out.
As reported in the Mirror, Dawn received several blows to the head with a sharp blunt object, and Andrew’s death was caused by hanging. He had no visible defensive injuries. A police investigation into the circumstances surrounding the couple’s death is ongoing. Several lines of inquiry, including murder-suicide and double murder, are open.
Officers have so far refused to say whether they have identified any suspects. Family members have reportedly travelled to France and spoken with investigators following the tragic discovery.
Prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller, who has said the couple both suffered “violent” deaths, said on Monday that it was still “too early” to release tangible information.
He said: “It’s very open. It’s far too early for me to say anything, we have to keep our eyes peeled. We’re not favouring any direction at the moment. I cannot say if we’re looking for someone. I cannot evoke any possible idea because a prosecutor cannot make misleading or erroneous statements.”
Rumours have already spread over what happened to the couple, with many friends from the local expat community rubbishing claims of suicide. Suggestions have come out over possible third-party involvement in their deaths due to Andrew’s job investigating financial crime for banking giant Barclays.
However, colleagues have dismissed this theory saying Andrew’s work was mostly carried out anonymously. Retired council worker Antoine Da Silva told how he saw dad-of-two Andrew hurrying through the village and looking “very worried” while on the phone to his dad Fred.
The couple’s home remains a crime scene this week. It is understood they moved to France ten years ago and got married in 2023. Images from the event show Dawn’s son Callum Kerr, an actor who has previously appeared on Hollyoaks, walking her down the aisle.
A statement posted to his Instagram read: “We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period. We will provide updates as appropriate.”
Andrew’s father Fred Searle, 88, from Littlehampton, West Sussex, expressed his grief following his son’s tragic death. He said: “We’ve got thousands of questions and very few answers.”
Local mayor Jean-Sébastien Orcibal, who initiated the Searle’s wedding in 2023, yesterday shared new information about the crime scene probe. He said: “On the first day, access was cordoned off, the house was visited by the police to see if any perpetrator was still on site, then finger prints were collected and then on Saturday a thorough examination of the property took place in order to provide any more information helping toward the inquiry to find out out what happened.
“Of course some elements struck me when I got there, you can understand that given what happened it’s very much out of the ordinary. I cannot tell you anything about what condition the victims where in when they were discovered, it’s yet to be determined.”
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