British couple, Andrew and Dawn Searle, found deceased in Les Pesquiès, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue 6th February 2025

[tree1]

So press conference later today. No guarantees but hoping for clarity if they are looking for anyone in relation to the deaths.

 

[Dotta]

This case makes me shudder with terror

The Lady looked so happy in pictures.
So lovely, cheerful and radiant.
Living her dream life in beautiful France.
She became a Granny recently, it was reported she visited her grandchild.

What a horrific end to her life!
Beaten to death, lying (naked ?) in the yard, experiencing terror in her last moments
And the Man,
hanged with a gag in his mouth!

Shattered dream of their idyllic life together - they got married only in 2023.

It boggles my mind.
What happened???

I'm not surprised that the community is traumatized and devastated.
Imagine something like this, such tragedy, happening at your doorstep!

I wouldn't sleep a wink, frightened of the slightest noise at night.
Is there a deranged murderer lurking out there???

I hope Police will get to the bottom of all this.

I refuse the idea of murder suicide.
It is simply something I cannot wrap my mind around.
To kill oneself and the beloved person?
Why?
For what reason?

Shudder!

And their poor families, elderly Dad, children
What they are going through now is simply unimaginable.

JMO

 

[tree1]

This case makes me shudder with terror

The Lady looked so happy in pictures.
So lovely, cheerful and radiant.
Living her dream life in beautiful France.
She became a Granny recently, it was reported she visited her grandchild.

What a horrific end to her life!
Beaten to death, lying (naked ?) in the yard, experiencing terror in her last moments
And the Man,
hanged with a gag in his mouth!

Shattered dream of their idyllic life together - they got married only in 2023.

It boggles my mind.
What happened???

I'm not surprised that the community is traumatized and devastated.
Imagine something like this, such tragedy, happening at your doorstep!

I wouldn't sleep a wink, frightened of the slightest noise at night.
Is there a deranged murderer lurking out there???

I hope Police will get to the bottom of all this.

I refuse the idea of murder suicide.
It is simply something I cannot wrap my mind around.
To kill oneself and the beloved person?
Why?
For what reason?

Shudder!

And their poor families, elderly Dad, children
What they are going through now is simply unimaginable.

JMO

I echo your thoughts on all of this except for the murder suicide. Whatever happened is truly horrific for them and their families. I can’t help thinking if they truly thought a killer was at large we would be hearing more about the search. I could be absolutely way off the mark of course. Prayers for all of them

 

[Kemug]

I echo your thoughts on all of this except for the murder suicide. Whatever happened is truly horrific for them and their families. I can’t help thinking if they truly thought a killer was at large we would be hearing more about the search. I could be absolutely way off the mark of course. Prayers for all of them

@tree1: I think that is a good point you make, we have heard nothing about a killer at large and being sought for. And @Dotta, I also refused the idea of murder/suicide. But now I have come to see it as very possible. Yes indeed, prayers for all of them.

 

[Dotta]

@tree1: I think that is a good point you make, we have heard nothing about a killer at large and being sought for. And @Dotta, I also refused the idea of murder/suicide. But now I have come to see it as very possible. Yes indeed, prayers for all of them.

You know,
Reason says one thing
but
Heart says another.

Is money worth killing oneself
and, even worse, others?

This guy worked in banking once.
I bet he knew all kinds of financial tricks.
Many ppl are in financial dire straits
but there are always some solutions.

Well,
there are also MH issues to consider in this case
Did anybody notice anything worrying in his behaviour?
Except latest incidents, that is.

Suicide or murder don't happen out of the blue.
It is a long process leading to them IMO.
With red flags.

JMO

 

[Kemug]

You know,
Reason says one thing
but
Heart says another.

Is money worth killing oneself
and, even worse, others?

This guy worked in banking once.
I bet he knew all kinds of financial tricks.
Many ppl are in financial dire straits
but there are always some solutions.

Well,
there are also MH issues to consider in this case
Did anybody notice anything worrying in his behaviour?
Except latest incidents, that is.

Suicide or murder don't happen out of the blue.
It is a long process leading to them IMO.

JMO

It seems to me that, sadly, a man's pride and happiness (and mental health) are often too closely linked to his wealth, possessions and standing in society. I believe that a woman in the same situation would probably be more realistic about things, and set to work determinedly to improve the situation, even if it meant scrubbing floors 7 days a week. JMO

 

[Dotta]

It seems to me that, sadly, a man's pride and happiness (and mental health) are often too closely linked to his wealth, possessions and standing in society. I believe that a woman in the same situation would probably be more realistic about things, and set to work determinedly to improve the situation, even if it meant scrubbing floors 7 days a week. JMO

Well,
Let's see what will be said during presser.

But, really,
all factors surrounding this tragedy
(his line of work, isolated foreign village, sudden relocation to France, garage door tampered with)
seem suspicious to me.

How many strange coincidences can happen in 1 case?

JMO and my wild imagination

PS
"Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern"
Who said this??

 

[tree1]

Well,
Let's see what will be said during presser.

But, really,
all factors surrounding this tragedy
(his line of work, isolated foreign village, sudden relocation to France, door tampered with)
seem suspicious to me.

How many strange coincidences can happen in 1 case?

JMO and my wild imagination

PS
"Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern"
Who said this??

Personally don’t think that suspicious. An ex colleague of his said Andrew had always spoken about retiring to rural France and sounds like the village has a lot of similar couples. I don’t either think the job that suspicious. I think he was a relatively small cog in a large wheel so to speak. As you say, hopefully we will learn more later and as always, I respect your opinion. If we all had same theories we wouldn’t be here now discussing!

 

[Kemug]

Well,
Let's see what will be said during presser.

But, really,
all factors surrounding this tragedy
(his line of work, isolated foreign village, sudden relocation to France, garage door tampered with)
seem suspicious to me.

How many strange coincidences can happen in 1 case?

JMO and my wild imagination

PS
"Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern"
Who said this??

Hercule Poirot?

 

[Dotta]

Hercule Poirot?

Warm, warmer....

But the answer is:

Ian Fleming.
"Father" of Bond.
James Bond

 

[tree1]

Hercule Poirot?

Ian Fleming?

 

[tree1]

Ian Fleming?

Sorry, someone beat me to it!

 

[VioletLilac]

I have really done a complete u-turn on this one. From revenge in the financial word, to burglary gone wrong, right back down to murder-suicide. Which I refused to even consider in the beginning.
So I'll lay out my current thoughts for you. Probably all to do with money, or lack of, as a lot of things are. Andrew and Dawn started their new life in France, probably pretty well set up. A bit of pension, a bit of savings, a bit of income from renting out a holiday unit. But then a few things happened - Covid arrived, and half the world ground to a halt. No more tourists coming to stay at their nice little unit. Maybe they didn't actually own their home and property outright, but were still paying off a mortgage. Soon their savings and a pension weren't quite enough. I'm beginning to.wonder if Andrew had complete control of their finances, that being his background. I doubt if Dawn knew about their financial troubles, or at least the extent of them. Because hadn't she made several overseas trips recently? So it's a pity (I'm guessing here) that Andrew didn't talk it through with his wife (guessing again!) So that they could work something out together.
But no, apparently, the bills kept mounting up and up (didn't it take about a year to pay off one bill?) And Andrew kept getting more and more stressed. He maybe asked to have the rest of his pension paid out to him in one lump sum, but it wasn't allowed. So he kept asking and begging friends and family to help him out. Apparently they couldn't or wouldn't, but maybe gave him advice. And finally I think Andrew was slipping into madness, hence the open door, and their tragic deaths.

I think you're right. I've changed my mind too.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Agree - buying lottery tickets does not have to imply addiction. But it was interesting to observe in this specific case, given the acknowledged financial stresses.

Sometimes it's when some people are under financial stress that they turn to gambling, as kind of their only hope.

I have heard of people betting away everything they owned as a last ditch attempt to get ahead of their debts
That hope that they'll win big or at least enough to get them out of trouble.

 

[TonnnnUK]

Sometimes it's when some people are under financial stress that they turn to gambling, as kind of their only hope.

I have heard of people betting away everything they owned as a last ditch attempt to get ahead of their debts
That hope that they'll win big or at least enough to get them out of trouble.

Wouldn't that be more on things like sports/horse racing betting? Chasing those "sure win" bets where it never quite pans out.

People play the lottery out of pure hope than expectation. Maybe they win £20 back from there couple of pounds ticket to pay for a few more plays. Perhaps they might get really lucky and hit a few numbers for a few hundred or thousand back. But no one really expects a jackpot or even higher value win.

 

[Dotta]

How could a guy who was a banker
allegedly get into financial ruin?
So terrible that, as some say,
he might have killed himself and his wife?

SMH

 

[FromGermany1]

How could a guy who was a banker
allegedly get into financial ruin?
So terrible that, as some say,
he might have killed himself and his wife?

SMH

I think, bankers especially are tending to speculate ..... they have the knowledge, but don't have always luck.

 

[saztina]

I can’t find any info about the press conference, does anyone know what time it is and will we be able to watch?

 

[Dotta]

I can’t find any info about the press conference, does anyone know what time it is and will we be able to watch?

5 pm in France

My post #115

 

[bringmeacupoft]

I find it hard to come to the idea of this being a murder-suicide because of the violent nature of it, which could be seen as degrading toward Dawn. She was reportedly found outside the house, with head injuries and naked. People always saw them as a well-liked, 'nice' couple, so it's difficult for me to reconcile those two images. However, we are frequently reminded that perception doesn't always match reality, and I think this maybe the case here.

Key mobile phone clue found after ‘violent’ deaths of British couple in France

Andrew and Dawn Searle moved to France from Scotland around ten years ago - mystery surrounds the circumstances of their deaths

www.independent.co.uk

The phone of 62-year-old Andrew Searle – a former financial investigator who was involved in fighting organised crime - is proving “particularly helpful”, one detective said.

One investigating source said there is a “mine of information and recent calls made by Mr Searle are providing vital clues”.

It comes after neighbour Antoine Da Silva said he saw Mr Searle making an agitated phone call days before he died. “He looked very worried. He said 'I can't speak with you, I'm on the phone' and he walked on immediately,” 63-year-old Mr Da Silva said.