A Scots mum who was murdered alongside her husband in France was last seen running errands just less than 24 hours before her death.
Dawn Searle, 56, and her husband Andrew, 62, visited a farm to buy beef and made a chimney sweep booking before their deaths on Thursday. Neighbours say the pair, who emigrated to France from Musselburgh in East Lothian, appeared to be “happy” and “normal” on their visit.
They were both found dead at their home in the hamlet of Les Pesquiés, north of Toulouse, just hours later. One neighbour, who owns a farm 200 yards from the couple’s home, told how the pair visited at around 12 noon on Wednesday and purchased some meat.
She told the Mirror: “They both came and just looked normal. We talked about ordinary things. We’re farmers and they came to order meat. We’ve already told the police everything.”
About four hours later Dawn visited a local business that maintains fireplaces to make appointments on behalf of residents in her community.
Its owner, Sylvie, who also lives in the hamlet, said: “We saw Dawn on Wednesday. She popped into my shop in the afternoon when my daughter was there. We do maintenance for wooden stoves and chimneys. She came to book many appointments for English friends of hers.”
A local says he saw Andrew Searle rowing on the phone a day before the tragedy. The man, who did not want to be named, said Mr Searle and wife Dawn were walking on a lane in the hamlet of Les Pesquies when he overheard the heated call.
He said “He [Andrew] kept saying mon pere mon pere.”
Officials initially believed the pair were killed in a burglary gone wrong but they have since said their “deaths were clearly a homicide.” Police are pursuing an inquiry that the couple could have been murdered by criminals from the UK because Mr Searle was a financial investigator specialising in organised crime and terrorism.
According to local news reports, Mrs Searle’s naked body was found outside the house with jewellery scattered around her – and that she had suffered head injuries. Mr Searle was reportedly discovered hanged inside the house with a gag stuffed in his mouth. Last night a family friend said Mr Searle’s daughter Ella and son Tom were on their way to France.
Dawn’s actor son, Callum Kerr, known best for playing PC George Kiss in Hollyoaks, walked his mother down the aisle when she married Andrew in September 2023. In a statement posted on his social media pages on Saturday afternoon the 30-year-old spoke of his family’s grief over the loss of a mother and father.
It read: “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. No family member is available for media interviews or comments. We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period. We will provide updates as appropriate. Thank you for your understanding.”
An investigating source said on Friday: “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 [the husband] was once involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.”
Mr Searle is said to have moved his family to France a decade ago after working as a financial investigator in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.
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