Family’s grief after British couple die in France

The son of a Scottish woman who was found dead along with her husband in France has said his family are mourning the couple’s loss.

Mrs Searle’s son, the actor and singer Callum Kerr, issued a statement on social media on behalf of couple’s four shared children.

The bodies of Andrew and Dawn Searle, who were in their sixties, were discovered by a neighbour on Thursday at their home in south west France. They moved to the area from Scotland a decade ago.

The local mayor, Jean-Sébastien Orcibal, told French television that the deaths were “clearly a homicide”.

The statement, posted on the Netflix and Hollyoaks actor’s Instagram, said: “At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (née Smith, Kerr) while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle.”

He requested that the family’s privacy was respected during this “difficult period”, added that they would provide updates as appropriate.

Mr Kerr has appeared in Netflix’s Virgin River and played PC Kiss in Hollyoaks.

He has also released a number of country songs.

The 30-year-old walked his mother down the aisle as she married Mr Searle at a ceremony in France in 2023.

On social media, he wrote at the time: “Not many people can say they walked their own mother down the aisle. What a pleasure. I love you mum.”

The couple’s bodies were found at about 12:20 on Thursday at their home in the hamlet of Les Pesquiès, in a rural area north of the city of Toulouse.

The discovery was made by a neighbour, who went to check on them when they failed to turn up for a planned dog walk.

The area around their detached house has been sealed off while investigations take place, and local police have called in expert help from Toulouse.

Forensics officers spent Thursday searching the scene of the crime, with a helicopter, a drone, criminal investigation technicians and a forensic doctor deployed to the site.

No criminal case has been opened so far, and police say there is no preferred theory about how the couple died.

Mr Orcibal, who represents the Villefranche-de-Rouergue area, told BBC News the cause of the death was still unclear.

He had earlier dismissed speculation the deaths were due to a burglary “gone wrong”, and said “no knife was found”.

Mr Orcibal also said the couple had become “very well integrated” in the village and used to regularly invite neighbours, many of them fellow expats, for a drink.

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle had worked in financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank during his career.

Mrs Searle grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, and Mr Searle was originally from England.

The couple – who were in their 60s – lived in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, before they moved to Les Pesquiès, which is south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue.

A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.”