Scots mum was killed by husband in murder suicide at home in France

Yahoo

03-04-2025

The deaths of a Scots mum and her husband at their home in France has been ruled as a murder-suicide.
Dawn Searle, 56, and her husband Andrew, 62, were discovered dead at their property in Les Pequies near Toulouse, on February 6.
Mrs Searle's body was found in the garden with severe wounds to her head, while her husband's body was found hanging inside.
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French prosecutors in charge of the case confirmed there was no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in their deaths.
The mum-of-two, also known as Dawn Kerr, was originally from Eyemouth in the Borders.
The couple previously lived in Musselburgh and married in France two years ago. It is understood they had emigrated 10 years ago.
Their bodies were discovered after neighbours became worried as they hadn't seen the couple walk their dogs.
Mrs Searle's body was found outside their home by a horrified friend. She had suffered a head injury and there was jewellery scattered around her.
The area around the property was sealed off while investigations took place, and local police called in expert help from Toulouse.
A helicopter and drone were sent to the site.
Initially it was believed the couple had fallen victim to a home invasion and dawn had fled an attacker. This theory was supported by the fact cupboards and drawers were discovered open, with furniture upended.
Mr Searle was a retired fraud investigator specialising in financial crime prevention who worked at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank. Detectives considered the possibility of a revenge attack because of his work.
French prosecutors have since concluded Dawn was killed by her husband who went on to botch a staged burglary.
Post-mortem examinations confirmed Mr Searle died from hanging and Mrs Searle suffered "multiple blows to the head with a blunt and sharp-edged object."
The announcement follows weeks of speculation about what happened to the couple, who friends described as "comfortable" and "happy."
Dawn Searle's son, the Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr, issued a statement on social media at the time of their deaths.
It read: "At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (née Smith, Kerr) while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle."
Mr Kerr, 30, walked his mother down the aisle when she married Mr Searle at a ceremony in France in 2023. The Record earlier revealed Dawn had been planning a trip to Scotland in the weeks before her death.
The project manager had posted an advert looking for a house to stay in when she visited for her son's wedding.
A post shared on Facebook group 'House and Pet Sitters UK' on January 3 read: "Hello, my name is Dawn and I lived in Scotland all my life before moving to France nine years ago.
"I have family in the Edinburgh area and often visit this beautiful city. I would much prefer to house sit on my trips which would help me and also help someone wanting to go away on holiday."