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French police investigating deaths of retired British couple in Aveyron home | French police investigating deaths of retired British couple in Aveyron home |
(31 minutes later) | |
Andrew Searle, retired fraud investigator, and wife, Dawn, found dead in their rural home in south-west France | |
French police are investigating the deaths of a retired British couple whose bodies were found in their renovated rural home in Aveyron in south-west France. | French police are investigating the deaths of a retired British couple whose bodies were found in their renovated rural home in Aveyron in south-west France. |
Andrew Searle, a retired fraud investigator, and his wife, Dawn, were discovered dead on Thursday at their home in the village of Les Pesquiès, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue. | |
According to local media reports, Dawn Searle was found naked outside the property with a serious head wound and jewellery strewn around her. She was reportedly found by a neighbour, who thought she had fainted and called the emergency services. | |
When police arrived they searched the property and discovered Andrew Searle dead inside. He was reportedly found hanging with a gag in his mouth. Police say no theories are being excluded for the motives of the apparent killings. Theories include a burglary gone wrong or a possible domestic dispute. | |
The couple had lived in the village for a decade, and were discovered at about 12.30pm on Thursday. | The couple had lived in the village for a decade, and were discovered at about 12.30pm on Thursday. |
According to his LinkedIn profile, Andrew Searle retired in 2015 after a career in financial crime prevention. | According to his LinkedIn profile, Andrew Searle retired in 2015 after a career in financial crime prevention. |
After quitting as a consultant in financial crime assurance at Barclays in Glasgow, Searle posted that he was “enjoying life in rural France – renovating!”. He previously worked for 21 years at Standard Life in Edinburgh, where he was responsible for the bank’s anti-crime initiatives across Europe. | |
A claim made by MailOnline that police are investigating the possibility that the couple were murdered by UK-based criminals has not been confirmed by the French authorities. | A claim made by MailOnline that police are investigating the possibility that the couple were murdered by UK-based criminals has not been confirmed by the French authorities. |
Searle went to a grammar school in Steyning, West Sussex and graduated from Liverpool John Moores University. | Searle went to a grammar school in Steyning, West Sussex and graduated from Liverpool John Moores University. |
A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.” | A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.” |