Police believe a UK man in France likely murdered his wife and faked a burglary. The couple, Andrew and Dawn Searle, died in February.
The Searles moved from the UK ten years ago. A friend found their bodies on February 6th. They were worried after not seeing them and the scene was described as violent.
Dawn was outside with a head injury and her jewelry was scattered around. Andrew was inside the house, dead. He used to be a financial investigator.
Initially, police thought it was a robbery. It looked like Dawn tried to escape. The house had been ransacked giving the indication of a robbery.
Detectives now doubt this version of events. Neighbors would have heard screams because the houses are very close together. No one reported hearing anything.
The investigator thinks Dawn died inside suggesting doors and windows would have been closed with her body likely moved to the garden later.
Andrew had no defensive wounds. Forensics found no sign of anyone else there. This supports the murder-suicide theory, which police had suggested before.
The prosecutor thinks it was a marital crime that turned into a suicide. An outsider would have caused the couple to scream which the neighbors would have heard.
The prosecutor says Andrew faked a burglary and he might have planned his suicide. Police asked the public for help but no arrests have been made so far.
A local resident called the couple adorable saying they often walked their dogs together, and she was very shocked by the news of their deaths.
Another local knew Dawn from a shop. She said Dawn seemed happy recently, and Dawn was battling the flu before she died.