Deaths of British couple in France treated as murder-suicide

French officials investigating the deaths of a British couple in their home in south-west France have said it was murder followed by suicide.

The bodies of Andrew and Dawn Searle, who previously lived in East Lothian in Scotland, were found on 6 February at their home in Les Pequies, about a hour north of Toulouse.

Mrs Searle's body was found in the garden with severe wounds to her head, while her husband's body was found inside.

The prosecutor in charge of the case has told the BBC there is no evidence that another person was involved in their deaths.

Mrs Searle, 56, grew up in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, and Mr Searle was originally from England.

They previously lived in Musselburgh and married in France in 2023.

Prosecutors said they had lived in the Aveyron region for five years.

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle, 62, previously worked in financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank.

Police were alerted to the incident in February by a neighbour of the couple who had gone to check on them when they failed to turn up for a planned dog walk.

The area around the property was sealed off while investigations took place, and local police called in expert help from Toulouse.

A helicopter and drone were sent to the site.

Post-mortem examinations confirmed Mr Searle died from hanging and Mrs Searle, suffered "multiple blows to the head with a blunt and sharp-edged object".

Dawn Searle's son, the Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr, issued a statement on social media at the time of the deaths

He 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 be respected during this "difficult period".

Mr Kerr, 30, walked his mother down the aisle when she married Mr Searle at a ceremony in France in 2023.