UK Couple Found Dead in France: Neighbors Devastated by Tragic News

A family traveled to a French village. It’s near Toulouse, in southern France. Their loved ones were found dead there. Andrew Searle and his wife, Dawn, died tragically. A neighbor found them in Les Pesquies. It happened on Thursday.

Investigators think UK criminals might have killed them. Andrew was from West Sussex and worked for Standard Life and Barclay’s in Edinburgh. He also spent 20 years with police, fighting financial crimes, such as money laundering.

Dawn was from Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders. She also lived in Musselburgh before moving to France with Andrew a decade ago. Andrew’s daughter, Ella, flew from Lagos, Portugal, and his son, Tom, came from India to be together.

Dawn’s son is Callum Kerr, aged 30, who used to act on Hollyoaks and is now a country singer. A friend said Andy and Dawn were happy and loved their new French life. Their friend describes this happening as beyond words, adding that the family is greatly devastated.

Friends and family are helping the children, and everyone is shocked by the deaths. French police are investigating what happened. At first, people thought it was a burglary, but the mayor said it was clearly murder.

Friends in Musselburgh are shocked. A friend who knew Andrew for thirty years was horrified by the news. Family members told other relatives about the deaths, and a friend in France called Ella to inform her of the horrific scene, saying it is utterly heartbreaking.

The Searles moved in 2015 after Andrew retired from Barclays Bank in Edinburgh, where he checked people for links to crime. This process is called sanctions screening, where he checked for links to terrorists or drug dealers. Working in finance may have made him known to criminals, but the friend said Andrew was private.

Andrew and Dawn met at a rugby club and married in September 2023 in France. Andrew was a kind and sociable man, who divorced his first wife, Judy, before meeting Dawn and finding happiness. The friend remembers them packing for France with their two dogs, Chilli and Bruno.

Andrew loved taking his dogs out. A neighbor from Musselburgh is shocked. Andrew spoke many languages well and lived with Judy, his first wife, before meeting Dawn. They both lived near Musselburgh and seemed happy together, though they were not married long.

Police have not arrested anyone yet. The Foreign Office is helping the family by talking to the local authorities and offering support in this difficult time.