French police confirm cause of death of Scots couple Dawn Kerr and Andrew Searle found dead in home

French prosecutors have confirmed how a couple found dead at their home in rural France died.

The bodies of Andrew Searle and Dawn Kerr were discovered by a neighbour at their home in Les Pesquiés, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, around 12.35pm on Thursday.

The couple had lived in the area for around ten years and were “well integrated” into the community.

Following a post-mortem, French police confirmed that Mr Searle died from hanging and Ms Kerr suffered “several blows to the skull using a blunt and sharp object”.

Investigators said that further examinations are under way to determine whether the deaths were a result of murder-suicide or third-party involvement.

The prosecutor in charge of the case, Nicolas Rigot-Muller, told the PA news agency: “Investigators are not prioritising any lead between the theory of a domestic crime followed by a suicide, or that of a double homicide carried out by a third party, linked either to a financial motive or the deceased’s past.”

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Searle was a retired fraud investigator specialising in financial crime prevention who worked at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank.

The body of Ms Kerr was discovered partially clothed at the front of her home before firefighters discovered her husband at the back of the property and notified police.

A report said the property “appeared to have been searched superficially” and cash was found in the couple’s bedroom alongside a box containing jewellery.

No weapons have been recovered.

Dawn and Andrew were found dead at their home in France STV News

It is understood Ms Kerr and Mr Searle were the mother and stepfather of actor and musician Callum Kerr, who played PC George Kiss in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, and appeared in Netflix’s Virgin River, according to a statement published on Mr Kerr’s social media accounts on February 8.

The statement read: “At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (nee Smith, Kerr), while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, 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.”

A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.”

A local woman and acquaintance of the couple, who wanted to remain anonymous, described them as “exceptional people” who were well-known and loved in the town of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, where they had been living for about a decade, according to the newspaper.

She told the PA news agency: “We are devastated. The whole of Villefranche is shocked. There aren’t even words for it, we are traumatised.

“They were people whom we loved, they were part of Villefranche, they were part of us. These people were exceptional.”

The woman explained that the couple used to prepare a meal for all their neighbours once a year, when “everyone went to eat at theirs”, adding that the town of Villefranche-de-Rouergue was usually “very quiet”.

She said: “Just talking about it, I am crying and shaking. I want to throw up. It just hurts too much.

“People here are disgusted – especially knowing they (Dawn and Andrew) were a mother and a father, a grandmother and a grandfather … ”

The woman added that the national police and the army appeared to “be hard at work” as she described a heavy presence in the area around Les Pesquies.