A woman was discovered dead at her home in France. Investigators suspect her husband killed her and staged a burglary.
Dawn Searle was from Musselburgh, Scotland. People also knew her as Dawn Kerr. She moved to France ten years ago. Her new home was near Toulouse. Dawn and Andrew lived in Edinburgh first.
Then, they settled in France. Friends and neighbors felt shocked about their deaths. It happened earlier this month. Detectives think Andrew killed Dawn. He staged a burglary that failed. Then, he killed himself.
Neighbors got worried and found them. They hadn’t seen the couple walking their dogs. Dawn’s body was outside her house. A friend found her on February 6. She had a head injury. Jewelry scattered around her.
Andrew Searle was a financial investigator. He was found dead inside. At first, people thought Dawn fled an attacker. They thought he then battered her. Cupboards and drawers stood open. Furniture was also upended.
But sources now have a new theory. Investigators say neighbors should have heard screams. The Searle house stood very close to others. Nobody heard anything. The victim likely died inside.
Doors and windows were shut. It was a winter night. Then, he put her body in the garden. This suggests a staged burglary gone wrong. This fits a murder-suicide idea being explored. The prosecutor said it was likely a marital crime.
He believes Andrew then committed suicide. If a stranger attacked, they would have shouted. Neighbors would have heard something. The prosecutor thinks Andrew staged the burglary. He may have hoped to explain the crime.
Then, he changed his mind. He killed himself. No one has been arrested in this case yet. Nobody has come forward with information. Post-mortem results showed no wounds on Andrew. Forensic evidence showed no one else was there.
No one else touched Dawn or Andrew. Dawn was the mother of Callum Searle, an actor. The couple married in 2023. Callum walked Dawn down the aisle. A local woman said they were adorable.
They walked their dogs in the village. She expressed feeling shocked by what happened. A shop worker said Dawn was in good spirits. This happened before they died. They had the flu recently. Her mood was good. She was smiling.