Investigation details emerge following deaths of British couple in France

More details have emerged about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of a British man and woman in a rural area of southwest France.

French news sites have named the couple as Dawn and Andrew Searle, although the identities of the victims have not been officially released.

Several local media outlets have reported Ms Searle’s body was found outside their home in the hamlet of Les Pesquies, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, while Mr Searle’s body was discovered inside.

Ms Searle was seen by a neighbour, according to La Depeche and Midi Libre. La Depeche also reports she was naked, with jewellery found scattered nearby.

A source “close to the investigation” told Midi Libre she had suffered a major head wound. The neighbour who found her initially thought she was unwell, it said, before calling emergency services.

Mr Searle was found hanged inside the house and had been gagged, both publications reported.

Investigators are reportedly looking at whether the British couple were killed during a burglary, but all lines of inquiry are said to remain open following the discovery of their bodies on Thursday.

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Mr Searle is said to have previously worked as an organised crime financial investigator in the UK.

A LinkedIn profile in his name says he retired in 2015 after working for Barclays and Standard Life, and was “enjoying life in rural France”.

His page talks about “over 20 years experience specialising in Financial Crime Prevention (AML, Fraud and Anti-Bribery) with a high profile in the industry and an extensive network of contacts”.

Ms Searle is believed to be the mother of actor and musician Callum Kerr.

The mayor of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Jean-Sebastien Orcibal, who also lives in Les Pesquies, told broadcaster France 3 the deaths were “something criminal, a homicide very clearly”.

However, the public prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said that while both “died violent deaths… all hypotheses remain open” while investigations continue.

Postmortems are expected to take place on Monday.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told Sky News: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.”