Dawn Searle, 56, and her husband Andrew, 62, were both found dead at their holiday home in the southwest of France with gangsters being suspected of being behind the killing
The mother of ex-Hollyoaks star was killed alongside her husband in France with gangsters suspected to be behind the slaying.
Dawn Searle, 56, and her husband Andrew, 62, were found dead at their holiday home in Les Pesquiès, in the southwest of the country, on Thursday. Mrs Searle was found with a head injury close to the front door and was surrounded by scattered jewellery. Reports also claim Mr Searle might have been tortured before being killed.
Mrs Searle is the mum of Callum Kerr, who starred in the Channel 4 soap between 2020 and 2021.
French officials originally believed the deaths were part of a homicide gone wrong but have since said the “deaths were clearly a homicide.” On Friday, the investigation into the death claimed they might have been targeted by hitmen as Mr Searlehad been a former organised crime investigator.
No weapons were found at the couple’s holiday home and no bullet or knife wounds were found during an examination of their bodies, a source told French outlet La Depeche du Midi. Autopsies are set to take place on Monday with investigators examining the crime scene for clues.
Regional prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller, who is leading the investigation, said: “Both died a violent death – all leads are being examined.”
A Foreign Office spokesperson told MailOnline: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the Local Authorities.” Mr Searle was originally from West Sussex while his wife was from Scotland.
The granddad played a vital role in cracking down on money laundering crime lords linked to Russia, The Sun reported. Mrs Searl’s son Callum Kerr, who also starred on Netflix’s Virgin River, has not spoken publicly about the deaths.
Callum, 30, is also a country singer who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and walked his mum down the aisle when she married Mr Searle in September 2023. he shared a photo on Instagram of the wedding and wished the pair a “tremendous life together.”
He added: “Not many people can say they walked their own mother down the aisle. What a pleasure!! I love you mum.
“Congrats to Dawn and Andy on their wonderful wedding day and here’s to a tremendous life together for the happy couple.”
An unnamed source with knowledge of the French investigation told The Sun: “A criminal enquiry has been launched and the fear is that the couple were murdered.
“They were very fit, and very popular locally, but there is a theory that they were being pursued by criminals from the United Kingdom.
“It may well be that gangsters with a score to settle are behind these killings.”
