Tragic Scot, Dawn Kerr and her husband Andrew Searle’s cause of death has been revealed by the French authorities.
The couple’s bodies were discovered by a neighbour in the hamlet of Les Pesquiès, Villefranche-de-Rouergue, on February 6.
Post-mortem examinations have now confirmed Andrew, 62, died from hanging and Dawn, 56, suffered “multiple blows to the head with a blunt and sharp-edged object”, reports the BBC.
Prosecutors in Rodez issued an update on the case but the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the couple – who moved to France from Scotland about 10 years ago – remain unclear.
The statement continued: “The investigation is ongoing, particularly to determine whether the tragedy resulted from a domestic crime followed by suicide or involved a third party.”
Dawn was discovered partially undressed in front of the couple’s home at about 12:27 on 6 February but “no evidence of sexual assault was found”.
Firefighters who responded to the alert then discovered Andrew at the back of the house and notified police. The statement said the the property “appeared to have been searched superficially” and cash was found in the couple’s bedroom.
Further toxicological tests are under way as part of the investigation, which is being led by Toulouse Police.
Dawn grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, and Andrew was originally from England. The couple lived in Musselburgh, East Lothian, before they moved to France and married in Villefranche-de-Rouergue in 2023.
According to his LinkedIn page, Andrew previously worked in financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank.
On Saturday Dawn’s son, ex-Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr, issued a statement on Instagram on behalf of the couple’s four children which reads: “At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (née Smith, Kerr) while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle.”
Callum, who played PC George Kiss in Hollyoaks and has appeared in Netflix’s Virgin River, requested that the family’s privacy was respected during this “difficult period”, adding that they would provide updates as appropriate.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.”