British couple found in French hamlet died by murder-suicide, police say

French officials investigating the deaths of a married British couple in the south of France have said they are treating it as a murder-suicide, according to reports. Andrew and Dawn Searle’s bodies were found dead in the hamlet of Les Pesquies in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron near Toulouse , in the early afternoon of February 6. Mrs Searle, also known as Ms Kerr, was found in front of her house with severe wounds to her head, while her husband’s body was found hanged inside.

Police launched an investigation to establish whether the couple died as a result of a murder-suicide, or if a third party was involved. The prosecutor in charge of the case said there is no evidence that anybody else was involved in the deaths, according to the BBC. Ms Searle was the mother of Scottish actor and musician Callum Kerr, who played PC George Kiss in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks , and appeared in Netflix’s Virgin River.



Mr Kerr shared a statement on his social media account following their deaths which 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.” He then asked for family's privacy to be respected during this “difficult period”. Mr Kerr, 30, had walked his mother down the aisle when she married Mr Searle at a ceremony in France in 2023.

Mr Searle was a retired fraud investigator specialising in financial crime prevention who worked at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank, according to his LinkedIn. French officials claimed they had been living in Aveyron for five years. A statement issued by French prosecutors in February said: “The first victim, Ms Kerr, has a significant head injury.

“A box containing jewellery was found near to her, but no item or weapon which could have caused the injuries were located. “Mr Searle, who was found hanged ..

. did not show any visible defensive injuries.” The Independent has contacted French police and prosecutors for comment.

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