A former counter-fraud specialist found dead alongside his wife at their idyllic French home would not have been killed in a gangland hit, a former colleague said last night.
The lifeless bodies of Andrew and Dawn Searle were discovered by a neighbour in the rural village of Les Pesquies, around 65 miles (100km) north-east of Toulouse, on Thursday.
Prosecutors confirmed the pair, who moved to the south of France from Scotland around a decade ago, suffered a ‘violent death’ and were considering a number of theories including murder-suicide.
Investigators are also looking into claims Mr Searle, 62, may have been targeted after a career tackling organised crime and terrorism, having worked at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank before he retired.
He was also seen ‘arguing violently’ on the phone just hours before his death and was said to be furious after ‘finding the door of his garage open’, witnesses claimed.
But a British-based former colleague has dismissed the suggestion that the Searles would have been preyed upon by fraudsters out for revenge.
The former colleague, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Mail: ‘There is no way he could have been the target of a gangland hit.
‘He was senior but not hierarchical. The bad guys just see the organisations declining them and try new routes or try to learn how to circumnavigate.
The bodies of Andrew and Dawn Searle (pictured) were discovered by a neighbour in a village around 65 miles from Toulouse on Thursday
The couple moved to the south of France from Scotland around a decade ago. Pictured is the house where Mr and Mrs Searle were discovered in Les Pesquies
Less than 24 hours before he was found dead, Mr Searle seemed happy and relaxed as he bought a chocolate bar and two lottery tickets before thanking the shopkeeper and going to his car outside where his wife, aged in her mid-50s, was waiting
‘Criminals just see the organisation, not the individuals in the teams or running the teams. They’d have a full-time job following through on vendettas.’
He said ‘everyone who knew Andrew’ was ‘in total shock’ at his death.
‘He was a really nice guy, would chat to anyone,’ the former colleague said. ‘His plan was to buy a house in the south of France and do it up. He was excited about it.
‘He was also bilingual, fluent in German and loved his dogs. He was not shady in any way.’
Family members have begun to gather in the village, as police and prosecutors continue their investigation into what happened.
Mr Searle’s father, Fred Searle, 88, a retired Army major from Littlehampton, West Sussex, reportedly said he was left with ‘thousands of questions and very few answers’, after arriving in Les Pesquies at the weekend.
It came as fresh CCTV footage appeared to show Mr Searle’s last known movements, entering a tobacconist in the nearby town of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, less than 24 hours before he was found dead.
Appearing happy and relaxed, he was seen buying a chocolate bar and two lottery tickets before thanking the shopkeeper and going to his car outside where his wife was waiting.
Investigators are also looking into claims Mr Searle may have been targeted after a career tackling organised crime and terrorism, having worked at companies including Standard Life and Barclays Bank
French media reported Mr Searle was found hanging from a bannister in the house with a gag in his mouth but local officials have refused to confirm this
The couple were found at their property in Les Pesquies, two hours north of Toulouse
Close friend and neighbour Odile Marian said the idea of a ‘family drama’ was out of the question as the Searles had been planning activities with her.
She added: ‘I know that someone had opened the door of his garage. He was trying to find out who it was. I just know he was very angry and irate that it was open.’
Ms Marian said a neighbour discovered Mrs Searle ‘in her pyjamas’ with a head injury, outside the house with her jewellery scattered around her.
French media reported Mr Searle was found hanging from a bannister in the house with a gag in his mouth but local officials have refused to confirm this.
But friends of couple told The Times they reject the murder-suicide theory
One pair, who live in a nearby village overlooking a 12th-century royal fortress, told the newspaper: ‘We saw them last at Christmas — they were absolutely normal. Life was good, why would they want to kill themselves?’
Mr Searle, 62, and his wife, in her mid-50s, were married in 2023, where the bride was given away by her son, the actor and musician Callum Kerr.
Mr Kerr is known for his role as PC George Kiss in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, as well as appearing in Netflix’s Virgin River and drama Flowers In The Attic: The Origin.
He has also released a number of country songs.
Mr Kerr, who now lives in the southern US state of Tennessee, released a statement on behalf of the Searles’ grief-stricken children following deaths, saying: ‘At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle, while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle.’
Antoine Da Silva said he regularly saw Andrew and Dawn as they walked their two dogs in countryside near their isolated rural home in Les Pesquies, two hours north of Tolouse.
Town mayor Jean-Sébastien Orcibal has dismissed suggestions of a ‘burglary gone wrong’
Retired financial investigator Andrew, 65, and Dawn, 56, who only married two years ago, were found by a horrified friend who was worried he had not seen them out with their dog.
Mr Da Silva, 63, said: ‘I was walking a lot in Les Pesquies and was bumping into him quite regularly. He was a very nice man, smiling and he was speaking French quite well, his wife less so. She would get her hair cut by my daughter.
‘When we bumped into each other we would always talk but the last two times he seemed really agitated. A week ago I saw him walking in a real hurry and he didn’t stop, he just said hello and waved and walked off.
‘Then last week before the murder I saw him on the phone. He looked very worried. He said ‘I can’t speak with you I’m on the phone’ and he walked on immediately.’
Mr Da Silva said that he and his wife had been questioned by police and he had told them about Mr Searle’s recent behaviour saying it was different from usual.
He added: ‘The police said they weren’t sure what had happened and we would have to wait for the investigation to finish.’
Any suggestions the killings came from a ‘burglary gone wrong’ have been dismissed by the town’s mayor Jean-Sébastien Orcibal.
He also said the deaths were ‘clearly a homicide’ and not a ‘family tragedy’, suggesting officials thought the pair did not take their own nor each others’ lives.
Dawn Searle is pictured here with her actor son Callum Kerr, who starred in Hollyoaks
French media have reported Mr Searle was found inside hanging from a banister with a gag in his mouth, but local officials have refused to confirm this
Pictured is the house where Dawn and Andrew Searle were found dead last week
Mr Orcibal added: ‘These people were well integrated into the village.’
He told how Mr Searle had been part of the town’s festival committee, adding: ‘They regularly invited the whole neighbourhood to come and have an aperitif at their place and share a festive moment. They knew a lot of people.’
Mr Orcibal also said: ‘We do not really have burglaries in our town, and especially not violent burglaries.’
Family members are expected to travel to the village in the next few days as police and prosecutors continue their investigation into the shocking double deaths – with prosecutors and police ‘keeping an open mind’.
Dawn’s son Callum – who lives in Nashville, Tennessee – posted a tribute on his Instagram, while also asking for the family’s privacy to be respected during this ‘difficult time’.
The 30-year-old, who is best known for his role as PC George Kiss in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, shared a statement saying he was ‘grieving’ over the tragic loss of his mother and her partner.
He wrote: ‘At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (nee Smith, Kerr), while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle.
‘We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period. We will provide updates as appropriate. Thank you for your understanding.’
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting the family of a couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.’The investigation continues.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
