Dawn and Andrew Searle were both found dead at their home in Les Pesquies, south west France, earlier this month with evidence Dawn was brutally beaten to death
The bludgeoned body of tragic Brit Dawn Searle was discovered by a horrified friend, it has emerged.
Dawn, 56, and husband Andrew, 62, were both discovered dead at their home in the hamlet of Les Pesquies, near Toulouse, south west France, on Thursday last week. Both suffered violent deaths, local prosecutors have said.
Detectives so far have not ruled out third party involvement in their deaths. Harrowing revelations were made by neighbours this week detailing how a friend had been visiting the couple’s home with her dog when she found Dawn brutally beaten. Andrew meanwhile was later discovered hanged inside the house.
The couple had two big dogs of their own, residents said, and they often walked with the friend or several other dog owners in the quiet hamlet north of France’s third biggest city. One woman, Bénédicte, said the couple were “absolutely adorable, we would often meet like this simply walking our dogs around the village”.
“We are very shocked, of course we are,” she told the BBC. It comes as 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.
She described them as a “very generous and united couple” who gave up their Sundays to teach their French neighbours to speak English free of charge. Another local businessman described the pair as the “perfect couple” who were always involved in social events held in the community.
Since the shocking discovery, authorities have said they are following a number of leads – amidst swirling theories the couple were killed in a revenge attack due to Andrew’s career investigating financial crime. Murder-suicide has also been investigated as a possible theory.
While it’s understood that Dawn had been searched in the attack, there was reportedly no evidence of a burglary or sexual assault, despite her having been found “partially undressed”, prosecutors said. Post-mortems on the couple carried out on Monday revealed Dawn suffered “a significant wound on her skull” from a “blunt and sharp object.” Meanwhile “[Andrew] was found hanging by a rope tied to a radiator [and] showed no visible defense injuries.”
Prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said: “Further examinations (anatomical-pathological, toxicological) are ongoing to determine the precise circumstances of the deaths. Investigations are continuing, notably to determine whether the tragedy resulted from a marital crime followed by a suicide or from the intervention of a third party.”
The couple married in 2023, with Dawn’s son Callum, a former Hollyoaks star, walking her down the aisle. Andrew is said to have moved his family to France a decade ago. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is supporting the family and liaising with local authorities.
