‘We're so shocked’: Locals react to mystery deaths of British couple in France
The bodies of Dawn and Andrew Searle were found at their home in Aveyron on February 6
The bodies of Dawn and Andrew Searle were discovered by a neighbour at their isolated home near Villefranche-de-Rouergue on February 6
Holly Evans/Facebook
Locals have reacted with shock to the violent deaths of a British couple found at their home in Aveyron in southern France last Thursday February 6.
The couple, who have been identified in the press as Dawn and Andrew Searle, both in their 60s, were discovered by a neighbour at their isolated home in the hamlet of Les Pesquiés near Villefranche-de-Rouergue at around 12:20.
He had passed by to walk his dog with them.
Police subsequently swarmed the house, cordoning off the garden and using drones to fly over and search the site.
However, the lack of details on precisely what happened to the couple has given rise to speculation and anguish in the local British community.
Read more: Mystery of British couple found dead at home in south of France
‘A horrible feeling’
“It is inconceivable that they could have been involved in gang violence,” said a local Connexion reader whose name has been withheld on her request. “I knew them. They were a happy couple who went to local lunches and parties and walked their dog.”
“I can't think why a couple in their 60s would be killed in such a brutal way,” said the reader, who has lived in the area for 15 years.
“This is a beautiful part of the world, so peaceful, but since the killings I have such a horrible feeling when I wake up.”
‘No anti-English feeling here’
Another reader told The Connexion that he had not noticed any increased police presence in the area since the couple’s deaths.
“Their home is a few kilometers out of town. But the police seem to be going on as normal - I have not seen any of them around.
“But it has always felt safe here and I have never felt animosity for being English,” said the man whose name has been withheld on his request.
A spokesman for the English library of Villefranche-de-Rouergue said that everyone in the area was shocked by the deaths.
“We are just waiting for information, there has been none forthcoming. They say there is an autopsy taking place today [in Montpellier on Monday, February 10], so we will see.”
What we know so far
The local gendarmerie has repeatedly stressed that all details of the investigation are confidential.
Similarly, the UK's Foreign Office has limited its communication on the case to the statement that it is “supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities."
The victim’s identities were not publicly released by the authorities, but rather by the media and since confirmed by Mrs Searle’s son, the actor Callum Kerr who is known for his role in Hollyoaks and Netflix series Virgin River.
Initial suggestions that the couple were killed in a “burglary gone wrong” were dismissed by the mayor of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, who noted that "no knife was found" at the scene.
Subsequent media reports drawing on sources close to the investigation claim that Mr Searle was found hanged with a gag in his mouth.
Mrs Searle was reportedly found laying naked outside with jewellery scattered around her body.
Further speculation relates to Mr Searle’s former career in financial crime prevention, suggesting that the deaths could be related to organised crime and criminal gangs from the UK or Russia.
The Connexion has asked the French police about these claims - none of which have been officially confirmed.
