Everything we find out about retired British couple discovered lifeless in France

A police investigation has been launched after a retired British couple were found dead at their home in southwest France.

Andrew Searle and his wife Dawn were discovered dead by a neighbour at around 12.20pm on Thursday in Les Pesquiès, south of Villefrance-de-Rouergue.

Here’s everything we know about the couple and the investigation so far:

Who were Andrew and Dawn Searle?

Andrew Searle was a former fraud investigator and detectives are reportedly looking into whether gangsters with a “score to settle” may have been behind the killings.

The couple were both in their 60s and they had previously lived in Scotland before moving to France.

Mr Searle is originally from Sussex, England, while Dawn Searle, a project manager, grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders. Mrs Searle is the mother of actor and country musician Callum Kerr.

The couple had lived in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, before they moved to Les Pesquiès about 10 years ago.

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle had worked in financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank.

At Standard Life he had been responsible for the bank’s anti-crime initiatives across Europe. He worked as a consultant on financial crime for Barclays.

What have French officials said about the deaths?

The mayor of Villefrance-de-Rouergue, Jean-Sébastien Orcibal, told French television that the deaths were “clearly a homicide”.

He told the BBC that the cause of death was still unclear and he ruled out speculation that the couple had been killed in a burglary gone wrong.

According to local media reports, Mrs Searle was found outside the property with a serious head injury and jewellery strewn around her.

A neighbour reportedly found her and called the emergency services. When police arrived, they searched the house and found Mr Searle dead inside – one unconfirmed report has claimed that he was hanged.

Police have said that no theories are being excluded as motives for the deaths.

The public prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller has said that both “died violent deaths”, but added: “I cannot establish that either was a homicide. All hypotheses remain open.”

What have the locals said?

Mr and Mrs Searle were well-liked in the local area, with one neighbour Dominique telling French press: “We knew them, we walked our dogs together. They were very much appreciated locally.

“When they arrived they made contact with the neighbours and in September, they would often have a meal with everyone at their house.”

She added that the pair were “such a friendly couple” who “had a barbecue every year at the end of summer and everyone was invited”.

A friend of the Searles, Odile Marian, was also reported as saying that Mr Searle had been recently angry about finding the door of his garage open.

She said: “I know that someone had opened the door of his garage. He was trying to find out who it was… I don’t know maybe it’s connected?”

When were the couple last seen?

Mr Searle was pictured entering a tobacconist in the nearby town of Villefrance de Rouergue on the Wednesday evening before his death.

CCTV images obtained by Mail Online show Mr Searle entering the shop at just before 6pm as the shop was closing. He is seen buying a chocolate bar and two 3 euro lottery tickets. He then thanked the shopkeeper and walked back to his car where his wife Dawn was reportedly waiting.

Isabelle Palazy, who served Mr Searle, told Mail Online: “I just couldn’t believe it when I heard the news. He and Dawn are regular customers. He would come in every day and buy Fortuna Blue cigarettes.

“That day he came in just before I was closing and he seemed perfectly happy, he was relaxed and he chatted and bought some chocolate and two lottery tickets.

“Thinking that they were to die less than 24 hours later makes me go cold, I just can’t believe it. They were a lovely couple, always happy and chatting and they spoke reasonably good French.”

She added that he had been doing works on his house and that his favourite chocolate bars were KitKat and Kinder.

What have their family said?

Dawn Searle’s son Callum Kerr, an actor who has previously appeared in soap Hollyoaks, has said that the family are “grieving the tragic loss” of the couple.

A representative of Scottish-born actor Kerr said: “At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (nee Smith, Kerr), while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle.

“We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period.

“We will provide updates as appropriate.”

Mr Searle’s father Fred Searle, 88, who flew to France following the tragic news, told The Sunday Times: “We’ve got thousands of questions and very few answers.”

Source: independent.co.uk