French investigators have not ruled out 'financial motive' in deaths of Scottish woman and partner

Police investigating the sudden deaths of a married British couple at their home in the south of France have not ruled out that they were murdered for “financial motives”.

Andrew and Dawn Searle, who were both aged in their 60s, were found dead in the hamlet of Les Pesquies in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron, in the early afternoon of 6 February.

French prosecutors said in a statement published on Tuesday that police inquiries were ongoing to determine whether the couple died as a result of a murder-suicide, or if a third party was involved.

They also revealed Mrs Kerr had been found by a neighbour lying dead in front of her house, “partly undressed” - and had called the emergency services.

The prosecutor in charge of the case, Nicolas Rigot-Muller, said: “Investigators are not prioritising any lead between the theory of a domestic crime followed by a suicide, or that of a double homicide carried out by a third party, linked either to a financial motive or the deceased’s past.”

As they entered, emergency services found the body of Mr Searle inside the house.

Mrs Searle, also known as Dawn Kerr, was originally from Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, and had worked in Scotland as a project manager.

Andrew and Dawn Searle.

Mr Searle was originally from West Sussex, but had worked at Standard Life in Edinburgh and Barclay’s in Glasgow. He spent more than two decades working in financial crime, which involved sanction screening and anti-bribery measures.

The prosecutors’ statement continued: “The two deceased persons, a man and a woman, were the owners of the house in which their bodies were discovered.

“They were British expatriates, retired, and had been living in Aveyron for five years.

“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.

The prosecutors said that post-mortem examinations carried out in Montpellier on Monday found that Ms Kerr had died after having received “several blows to the head using a blunt or sharp object”. No signs of sexual assault were found.

The statement said other tests, including toxicology, are currently ongoing.

Mrs Kerr’s son, Scottish actor and singer Callum Kerr, who previously appeared on Hollyoaks, paid tribute to his mother at the weekend.