British couple discovered useless in France might have been murder-suicide, police say

Free of charge actual time breaking information alerts despatched straight to your inbox signal as much as our breaking information emails

Signal as much as our free breaking information emails

Signal as much as our free breaking information emails

A British couple discovered useless at their farmhouse in rural France might have died in a murder-suicide, French police mentioned.

Andrew Searle, 62, and his 56-year-old spouse Daybreak Kerr have been discovered at 12.20pm final Thursday at their house within the quiet French hamlet of Les Pesquiès, north of Toulouse.

Ms Kerr died after having acquired “a number of blows to the pinnacle utilizing a blunt or sharp object”, while Mr Searle died because of hanging, a publish mortem revealed.

A homicide investigation has been opened and police are persevering with “to find out whether or not the tragedy resulted from a marital crime adopted by a suicide or from a 3rd social gathering”.

Ms Kerr’s physique confirmed no indicators of sexual assault and Mr Searle “didn’t present any seen defensive accidents”.

open picture in gallery

A neighbour of the British couple discovered Ms Kerr mendacity useless in entrance of her home, “partly undressed”, and known as the emergency companies at 12.27, prosecutors mentioned.

As they entered, emergency companies discovered the physique of Mr Searle, a former monetary crime investigator, hanged inside the home.

Investigators haven’t dominated out that the retired couple have been murdered for “monetary motives”.

Detectives are reportedly wanting into whether or not gangsters with a “rating to settle” might have been behind the deaths.

In response to his LinkedIn web page, Mr Searle specialised in monetary crime prevention who labored at corporations together with Normal Life and Barclays Financial institution.

open picture in gallery

Mr Searle took an early retirement in 2015, after which he’s believed to have run into monetary troubles when his rental enterprise was pressured into liquidation in 2023.

A jewelry field was discovered close to Ms Kerr’s physique, however no merchandise or weapon which might have brought on the accidents was positioned. Money was additionally discovered within the couple’s bed room.

The couple had beforehand lived in Musselburgh, close to Edinburgh earlier than shifting to France round 10 years in the past.

Mr Searle is initially from Sussex, England, whereas Ms Kerr, a mission supervisor, grew up in Eyemouth within the Scottish Borders. She is the mom of Hollyoaks actor and nation musician Callum Kerr.

The couple was well-liked within the native space, with one neighbour Dominique telling French press: “We knew them, we walked our canines collectively. They have been very a lot appreciated regionally.

open picture in gallery

“Once they arrived they made contact with the neighbours and in September, they’d typically have a meal with everybody at their home.”

Mr Searle was pictured getting into a tobacconist within the close by city of Villefranche de Rouergue on the Wednesday night earlier than his dying.

CCTV pictures obtained by Mail On-line present Mr Searle getting into the store at simply earlier than 6pm because the store was closing. He’s seen shopping for a chocolate bar and two 3-euro lottery tickets. He then thanked the shopkeeper and walked again to his automotive the place his spouse Daybreak was reportedly ready.