The police who investigate the death of an expat-before financial researcher and his wife in their idyllic French house is working on the theory, it may have been a suicide singing.
Andrew Searle, 65, and Dawn, 56, who only got married two years ago, were found dead last week by a shocked neighbor who was worried that he had not seen them with their dogs.
Dawn was discovered in her pajamas outside the house in Les Pesquies, north of Toulouse, spread over her last Thursday with a main injury and jewelry.
The French media said that Andrew was inside and reportedly hung with a gag in his mouth, but there has been no official confirmation of this.
The four children of previous marriages of the couple are expected to have a meeting with officers of justice in the coming days after flying in from the VK, India, Portugal and the US.
Also with them is Mr. Searle's father Fred, 88, a retired British army Major, from Littlehampton, West Sussex, who said before he left: “We have thousands of questions but no answers.”
There had been speculation. The deaths may be connected to Mr. Searle's long career as a financial researcher who worked for the Serious Fraud Office.
French media suggested a dissatisfied criminal he helped, has deliberately aimed at him, but researchers are now leaving this theory.
Andrew Searle, 65, and Dawn, 56, who only got married two years ago, were found dead last week by a shocked neighbor
CCTV statues of Andrew Searle (Green Hat) in a newspaper Wednesday on Wednesday
This photo taken in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Southwest France, on 7 February 2025, shows a French gendarme who stands at the entrance of the house of a British couple in their sixties, who were found dead on February 6, 2025
A source said: 'We have to look at everything in such cases and nothing is left uncontrolled.
'Most murders are performed by someone who knew the victim and that is the theory that we pursue in this case, with the perpetrator committing suicide.
'It will take a few days to work out the finer details, but the suggestion that it had disappeared a burglary loses ground.
'Yes, his background as a financial researcher could be a motive, but it has been a decade since he stopped this wort of work.
“That is why the theory of the murder suicide wins more probability, but we will have to wait until the study is closed before we are 100 percent sure.”
Witnesses have told the MailOnline that they saw Mr Searle arguing on his mobile argument in the days before his death.
He had to buy lottery tickets on consecutive days and his holiday rental company folded without bills in December 2023, according to French records.
There were also reports that he cried last December after 'his retirement problems' and that he took a few months to pay off a bill.
On Monday, public prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said that he would give an update on the case on Tuesday as soon as autopsies were performed in the Montpellier Hospital.
He said to MailOnline: 'Nothing is ruled in or out of it. I will give more details on Tuesday when I also have the first findings of the autopsies. '
The house where Dawn and Andrew Searle, 56 and 62, on Thursday afternoon were discovered, Les Pesquies, France
Witnesses have told the MailOnline that they saw Mr Searle arguing on his mobile argument in the days before his death
Dawn was discovered in her pajamas outside the house in Les Pesquies, north of Toulouse, spread over her last Thursday with a main injury and jewelry
When asked if weapons had been found or if it was a suicide murder, he replied: 'At the moment I cannot say that you have to wait until the press conference.
“The family speaks with the police; At the moment it is much too early for me to say something. We are currently not in favor of a theory.
“I can't tell you if we are looking for someone else.”
There have been reports that the deaths can be connected to the former work of Mr Searle in Edinburgh as a financial researcher with Standard Life.
On his LinkedIn page he said he worked with the Serious Fraud Office on screening sanctions and money laundering by crime groups and individuals.
But former colleagues responded septically to claims that he was 'specifically focused' because of his research work.
A financial source that was aware of Mr Searle's earlier work: 'Large banks and financial institutions have dozens of people who work in this area.
'Many people do these kinds of checks on a scale all day, every day and they are not individuals who go against individuals, it is an anonymous process.
“What he did was not particularly unusual and it was all a long time ago.”
Callum Kerr with his mother Dawn Searle
Callum Kerr who played George Kiss in Channel 4 Hollyoaks
The couple had moved to the hamlet of Les Pesquies in 2015 and on Saturday Dawn's son Hollyoaks and Netflix star Callum Kerr issued a statement for the family affected by the mourning on behalf of the family.
He said: “Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are currently the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (no Kerr), while Tom Searle and Ella Searle mourn for the loss of their father, Andrew Searle.”
CALLUM – Who lives in Nashville, Tennessee ended the short statement he placed on his Instagram by asking that the family's privacy was respected during this 'difficult time'.
The couple went to Goa, India in November, while Ella lives in Portugal and is the Amanda in Edinburgh, but they are all supposed to be in France now.
A neighbor, who asked not to be mentioned, said: 'The whole village is shocked by what happened. Nobody can believe it.
'They were such a friendly couple and had a barbecue every year at the end of the summer and everyone was invited.
'I saw them the day before they were found, they walked out of the dogs and Andrew was on the phone.
“He was very agitated and he argued violently in English, he just waved at me and then continued. I don't know, maybe it's relevant, but I can't see burglary as a motive. '
