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Detectives have launched a murder investigation after Andrew and Dawn Searle were found dead in France.
Andrew Searle was discovered hanged inside the house; Dawn Searle had head injuries outside.
French police are exploring all possibilities, including a link to Andrew Searle’s past work in fraud.
WARNING: This article may be upsetting to some readers.
Detectives have launched a murder investigation after a retired British couple were found dead in grisly circumstances at their luxury gite in southwest France.
The bodies of Andrew and Dawn Searle were discovered at their remote property in the village of Les Pesquies, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, this week.
Dawn Searle’s naked body was found outside the house, according to neighbours.
The 56-year-old had suffered head injuries and items of her jewellery were scattered around her body.
Andrew and Dawn Searle, who retired to southwest France around 10 years ago, married last year.
Andrew Searle, 62, a former counter-fraud specialist, was reportedly discovered hanged inside the house with a gag stuffed in his mouth.
The couple, who retired to the region around 10 years ago, married last year.
They were said to be popular and well-integrated members of the local community and were known for throwing garden parties at their home, which they also rented out to holidaymakers from across Europe.
A forensic pathologist from the Montpellier Court of Appeal arrived by helicopter on Friday, local time, to carry out an initial investigation. Autopsies are due to take place on Monday, local time.
The house of British couple Andrew and Dawn Searle in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, France, where they were both found dead this week. Photo / AFP
No weapons have been recovered from the grounds of the property and French police said they were not ruling anything out at this stage.
Before retiring a decade ago, Searle worked investigating financial fraud, first for Standard Life and later at Barclays in Edinburgh, Scotland.
His work involved looking into organised crime groups running financial scams. One theory under consideration is that Searle may have been targeted by a disgruntled criminal he had helped bring to justice.
However, French police admitted they were struggling to understand how events had unfolded and were reluctant to even declare both deaths as murder.
Jean-Sebastien Orcibal, the mayor of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, who married the couple last year, told the Telegraph: “I was phoned yesterday at around 12.30pm as mayor to be told that two bodies were found in their property.
“With the local police and gendarmes, we went to the house to secure the property. Both to shut off access to the house but also to make sure that no one could get out, as an intervention was carried out to make sure that no suspects remained in the house.”
Orcibal said there was little crime in the area, which added to the sense of shock among villagers.
“We’ve only had one burglary in a neighbourhood in years, it’s a very quiet area. Now these are people who, as you can see, had a very rich social life, they had a gite. So they met a lot of people,” he said.
“These were people who were very well known in the neighbourhood. They were British but they really wanted to integrate into local life.
“I knew Andrew better than Dawn. He spoke very good French. They were both retired. Every year they invited more than a hundred people for a drink at their home.
“They had two pedigree dogs that they walked along the river every day. And every time they bumped up into someone, more than a quick ‘bonjour’, they would stop and talk. They were very kind and courteous.”
Johan Herault, who runs Herault Safaris, a tour company based in the area, said he and his wife knew the couple well.
“This comes as a terrible shock. They were such lovely people,” he said.
“My wife was very good friends with Dawn. She is from New Zealand and liked speaking English with them. We often went to see them. They lived near the mayor.
“We spoke to them on the phone quite recently. I often spoke with Andrew about fishing in the local area and our dogs. He loved nature.
“I know he worked in the UK with the police but that’s all. He never mentioned that he was in any danger. This is an incredibly calm and peaceful area. It doesn’t make any sense.”
One villager described how the whole community had been rocked by the deaths.
She said: “Two days ago, they came to the farm to buy meat. They were nice, endearing people.
“It’s difficult not knowing what happened. I’m worried and I haven’t slept all night.”
Nicolas Rigot-Muller, the region’s public prosecutor, said until the autopsies were concluded it was not possible to establish a cause of death for either of the victims.
“Both died violent deaths, but I can’t establish that either was a homicide,” he said. “All hypotheses are still being examined.”
