British expats Andrew and Dawn Searle had a comfortable and happy life together according to those close to them, but a tragic twist now suggests that not all was as it seemed behind closed doors.
The bodies of Andrew, 62, and Dawn, 56, were discovered on February 6 after neighbours became concerned when they didn’t appear for their usual dog walk. The harrowing scene appeared to show a botched burglary, with Dawn’s body lying outside the front door with jewellery scattered around her, while furniture was flipped inside the property.
Meanwhile Mr Seale was found hanged with a gag in his mouth. It was initially believed the couple had been attacked in a staged robbery, however detectives now suspect the husband killed his wife before taking his own life. The couple, from Musselburgh, East Lothian, had moved from Scotland to start a new life in the picturesque hamlet of Les Pesquies, near Toulouse, southern France, 10 years ago. They had retired abroad in 2015 but still worked, with Ms Searle continuing her work as a project manager while Mr Searle still did freelance financial work.
Their sprawling home included a two-bedroom flat that they rented out to paying visitors. Outside, there is a swimming pool, and thick woods isolate the house away from the centre of the hamlet, where around 100 people live. The area is popular with British expats and holiday homeowners, with the Searles often hosting dinner parties for friends locally.
Best pals said they had been living a “happy” and “comfortable” life in the rural countryside north of Toulouse. One said: “They both loved the countryside, and were very happily settled. They were very proud of their house, which is situated well away from other buildings in the hamlet.”
But questions have been raised about possible financial struggles for the pair, with local sources alleging it had taken Mr Searle over a year to settle a bill of several thousands euros. Another report claimed he had been spotted looking tearful in December amid issues with his UK pension.
However, those close to them refuted the claims. Two unnamed Brit expats in their late 60s and living in a nearby village, said: “Us Brits, who knew Dawn and Andy very well, are certain this is not a murder-suicide. We saw them last at Christmas, they were absolutely normal. Life was good, why would they want to kill themselves?”
They also said it did not appear as though they had money worries. They added: “They weren’t flashy by any means, but they were definitely comfortable and had it good out here. They were always travelling – they recently went to a family wedding in Goa, they went to South America for their honeymoon.
“Dawn’s son Callum had a baby and Dawn went over there for that. And [she] had just come back from Scotland because her dad’s funeral was at the end of January. They were also still working – Dawn was a project manager and Andy still did some freelance work.
“[And] they have a gite [holiday home] connected to the main house which they rented out and it was occupied most of the time which gave them a good income on the side.” One local woman, Bénédicte, said the couple were “absolutely adorable, we would often meet like this simply walking our dogs around the village.”
She told the BBC: “We are very shocked, of course we are.” One local who knew Dawn told The Mirror how the project manager had been in good spirits in the days before the couple’s deaths, despite having been suffering from a bout of flu. “Her mood was very good, [and she was] smiley,” the woman working at a nearby fireplace shop said.
The couple, who had both been married previously, tied the knot in 2023, with Dawn’s son Callum, a former Hollyoaks star, walking her down the aisle. Mr Searle spent more than 20 years working with the police and Serious Fraud Office against organised crime groups. This included work in “sanctions screening”, which is the process of checking individuals and groups who might be barred from dealing in the UK because of their links with rogue nations, terrorist groups and drugs traffickers.
This would have brought Mr Searle to the notice of networks working across the globe. The financial worker retired from his professional life in Scotland after working in the financial crime assurance arm of Barclay’s Bank in Edinburgh. Before this, the Liverpool John Moores University graduate was at Standard Life, which is also based in the Scottish capital.
He was originally from West Sussex, while his wife was Scottish. Mr Searle maintained a LinkedIn account, in which he wrote: “Responsible for the delivery of significant improvements in AFC (Anti-Financial Crime) capability, developing effective operating models within a Group structure.”
Mr Searle was once involved in the “fight against organised crime and terrorism”, and faced off with major money-laundering syndicates in countries where sanctions have been imposed, such as Russia, during his career, according to reports.
When their bodies were first found, it was initially believed Mrs Searle had tried to run away from an attacker before she was battered to death. This theory was supported by the fact that cupboards and drawers were discovered open, with furniture upended.
However, now inquiry sources have said in a new update that if that was the case, and Mrs Searle was killed in the garden, neighbours would have likely heard the commotion. One investigator quoted by The Sunday Post said: “The Searle house is extremely close to other houses, and the noise of screams would have carried. In fact, nobody heard anything.
“What is very likely is that the victim was killed inside the house, with doors and windows shut on a winter’s night, and then her body dumped in the garden.” The source said this pointed to the theory of a “staged burglary gone wrong” which would fit the “murder-suicide” inquiry line that previously emerged in the investigation.
According to Nicolas Rigot-Muller, the Rodez prosecutor leading the investigation, “a marital crime followed by a suicide” was likely. He said that if the couple had been attacked by a stranger, they would have probably shouted, alerting their neighbours.
The prosecutor claimed that Mr Searle may have hoped he could explain the crime to the police by organising a staged burglary before changing his mind and taking his own life. No arrests have been made in connection with the couple’s deaths – and nobody has come forward despite public appeals made by the police.
The results of a post-mortem examination showed there were no defensive wounds on Mr Searle, and forensic evidence didn’t show any suggestion that someone else was in the home. Dawn’s son, Virgin River actor Callum Kerr, took to social media to share a statement shortly following the announcement of their deaths.
He wrote: “At this time, Callum Kerr, Amanda Kerr, Tom Searle & Ella Searle are grieving the tragic loss of their mother and father, Dawn and Andrew Searle. No family member is available for media interviews or comments. We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period. We will provide updates as appropriate.”
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit www.aafda.org.uk