Andrew and Dawn Searle were tragically found dead at their home in Les Pesquies near Toulouse, France, last week as prosecutors release an update in the case following a post-mortem on the couple
Detectives in France have issued a major update over the murders of British couple Andrew and Dawn Searle.
The couple were discovered dead at their home in the small hamlet of Les Pesquies, near Toulouse, last week in a case which has horrified both nations.
Post-mortems have now been carried out on the couple, public prosecutors have announced. According to the autopsies, Dawn received several blows to the head using a blunt sharp object, and Andrew’s death was caused by hanging.
Officers are still investigating whether the couple died in a murder-suicide or if a third party was involved. Police investigating the case have so far refused to say whether they have identified any suspects.
It’s also emerged the couple’s bodies were discovered after Andrew failed to arrive for a regular dog walk with a friend.
Prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller, who has said the couple both suffered “violent” deaths, said on Monday that it was still “too early” to release tangible information.
“It’s very open. It’s far too early for me to say anything, we have to keep our eyes peeled. We’re not favouring any direction at the moment. I cannot say if we’re looking for someone. I cannot evoke any possible idea because a prosecutor cannot make misleading or erroneous statements.”
Mr Searle, 62, appeared to have been hanged when officers arrived at the scene, while 56-year-old Dawn was reportedly found with injuries to suggest she’d been brutally beaten. Rumours have already spread over what happened to the couple, with others in the local ex-pat community resolute that it couldn’t have been a murder-suicide.
Suggestions have come out over possible third-party involvement in their deaths due to Andrew’s job investigating financial crime for banking giant Barclays. However, colleagues have dismissed this theory saying Andrew’s work was mostly carried out anonymously.
Retired council worker Antoine Da Silva told how he saw dad-of-two Andrew hurrying through the village and looking “very worried” while on the phone to his dad Fred. The couple’s home meanwhile remained a crime scene this week. It’s understood that Mr Searle emigrated to France around 10 years ago. Before his retirement from Barclays, he had worked for the Standard Life insurance firm investigating financial crime.
Andrew’s father Fred Searle, 88, from Littlehampton, West Sussex, expressed his grief following his son’s tragic death. He said: “We’ve got thousands of questions and very few answers.”
Mrs Searle had previously returned to Scotland in January for her father’s funeral. The couple had married in 2023, with images showing Dawn’s son Callum Kerr, an actor who has previously appeared on Hollyoaks, walking her down the aisle. A statement posted to his Instagram read: “We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period. We will provide updates as appropriate.”
Local mayor Jean-Sébastien Orcibal, who initiated the Searle’s wedding in 2023, yesterday shared new information about the crime scene probe. He said: “On the first day, access was cordoned off, the house was visited by the police to see if any perpetrator was still on site, then finger prints were collected and then on Saturday a thorough examination of the property took place in order to provide any more information helping toward the inquiry to find out out what happened.
“Of course some elements struck me when I got there, you can understand that given what happened it’s very much out of the ordinary. I cannot tell you anything about what condition the victims where in when they were discovered, it’s yet to be determined.”