Deaths of British couple in south of France ‘treated as murder suicide’

The sudden deaths of a married British couple at their home in the south of France are being treated as a murder suicide, according to reports.

Andrew Searle and Dawn Kerr, 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 February 6.

Mrs Kerr was found lying dead in front of her house partly undressed and with a significant head injury while Mr Searle was found hanged inside.

Police launched an investigating to establish whether the couple died as a result of a murder-suicide, or if a third party was involved.

Andrew and Dawn Searle.

The BBC reported that the prosecutor in charge of the case has now told the broadcaster there is no evidence that anybody else was involved in the deaths.

It is understood Ms Kerr and Mr Searle were the mother and stepfather 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.

A statement posted on Mr Kerr’s social media accounts on February 8 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.”

It asked for the family’s privacy be respected “during this difficult period.”

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle was a retired fraud investigator specialising in financial crime prevention who worked at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank.

A statement issued by French prosecutors in February said: “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.

“Mr Searle, who was found hanged … did not show any visible defensive injuries.”