East Lothian Woman and Husband Found Dead in France, Gang Attack Fear

A woman from East Lothian died in France. Her husband, a former Edinburgh banker, also died. They were found at their home in Les Pesquies, near Villefranche-de-Rouergue. They found them on Thursday afternoon.

Dawn Searle, also called Dawn Kerr, passed away. Her husband was Andrew Searle. Dawn lived in Musselburgh, and Andrew was from West Sussex. He worked at a big bank in Edinburgh, before they retired to France about ten years ago. They were in their 60s.

Andrew worked against financial crimes. He helped police and the Serious Fraud Office, fighting money laundering. This work probably caught the attention of criminals. He retired in 2015, leaving his job in Scotland after working for Barclay’s Bank and Standard Life.

French detectives are investigating the deaths. They worry UK criminals may have killed them. This theory came out on Friday. Andrew and Dawn were found on Thursday, and their property is now a large crime scene.

A source said a murder inquiry started, believing the couple was murdered. They were fit and popular. One theory involves UK criminals, and this is a main focus for the police now, given Andrew fought organized crime before.

Police have not named the Searles publicly. However, neighbors confirmed it was them, describing them as very friendly. A neighbor learned of the situation with distress, expressing that what happened causes fear.

The Searles likely died inside their house. They rented out a two-bedroom furnished flat as a holiday home, widely advertised online. It was called ‘Andrew and Dawn at home’.

The Foreign Office is helping their family and talking with French police. The British couple died in France.