British Couple Found Murdered in Their French Countryside Home—Community in Shock

A quiet village in rural France has been shaken by the shocking murder of a British couple, Andrew and Dawn Searle. The pair was discovered dead in their home in Les Pesquiès on Thursday, February 6, after concerned neighbors alerted police when they missed a scheduled dog walk.

Authorities arrived around midday to a horrifying scene. According to reports, Dawn’s body was found outside the house, unclothed, with visible head injuries. Pieces of her jewelry were scattered nearby. Her husband, Andrew, was found inside the home.

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Jean-Sébastien Orcibal, the mayor of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, confirmed that police are treating the deaths as a double homicide. However, investigators have remained tight-lipped about further details. “We are waiting for autopsy results and the outcome of initial investigations before sharing more information,” said Public Prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller.

Andrew, a retired fraud investigator, and Dawn, a project manager, had been living in France for the past decade, fully embracing their new community. Locals described them as friendly, sociable, and well-loved.

“They had a rich social life and made real efforts to be part of the village,” Mayor Orcibal told reporters. “They walked their two dogs by the river every day and always stopped to chat. They were kind and courteous.”

Dawn was also the mother of actor Callum Kerr, known for his roles in Virgin River and Monarch. He had a close relationship with his mother and even walked her down the aisle when she married Andrew in 2023.

News of their tragic deaths has left the village in shock as authorities work to uncover who was behind the brutal crime and why the couple was targeted.

For now, the community mourns the loss of two people who had become an integral part of their small French village.