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

[Sarahlou]

^ Reports have varied, some say she was naked others say she was in pajamas.

Yes, perception certainly doesn't always match reality, that's for sure.

 

[Dotta]

" 'Problem from the Past'

Mayor Jean-Sebastien Orcibal,
a neighbour of Andrew and Dawn Searle,
said the couple were
'very happy, very friendly and didn't seem to have any problems'.

Speaking to Sky News from the town hall in which he conducted the couple's wedding ceremony,
he said:

'It doesn't seem like the problem comes from here
because when we knew them and saw them living here they were very happy,
very friendly and didn't seem to have any problems'.

"The problem seems to come from the past
or somewhere far away'.

'It's an isolated act, it's very independent.
It doesn't say that it's a very dangerous territory,
in fact, it's very peaceful
and that's why probably Andy and Dawn chose to live here,
because it's very peaceful'.

'Now,
did their past come back and get them?
That's another story.
That's totally different from where we are.
It could've happened anywhere'."

A local bakery featuring a news poster reporting on the death of the couple.

Mayor says death of British couple in French village may be linked to 'problem from past'

Mayor Jean-Sebastien Orcibal, a neighbour of Andrew and Dawn Searle, said the couple were "very happy, very friendly and didn't seem to have any problems".

news.sky.com

 

[Maat99]

Maybe they borrowed money from the wrong people

 

[tree1]

I always maintain though that even people you think you know very well can have a part of themselves hidden , maybe for reasons of pride, dignity, self respect etc. Maintaining the front people see ( happy, successful, relatively affluent etc) May become exhausting. Sometimes , at the risk of going too deep, it can stem from childhood experiences. I am not saying this applies here necessarily but generally

 

[catgreen]

I am veering towards murder/suicide - an argument, she tried to leave, he followed and bashed her over the head, filled with remorse he committed suicide IMO. Local media are still discussing the 'gag' though and describe him hanging from a radiateur...just not sure how accurate these are, will have to wait for the conference Mort d’Andrew et Dawn en Aveyron : "On a des milliers de questions et très peu de réponses", les amis du couple britannique ne croient pas en la thèse d’un drame conjugal

 

[starlightstarbright]

This scenario of a murder suicide from financial stress (and I agree with you it feels like a very likely one) seems so senseless. They were both still relatively young. If they had just both gone back to work, and there is loads of remote work even if language was an issue and I’m not sure it was. Instead, feels like such a stubborn hanging on to this sunk costs fallacy of the French retirement dream. MOO

 

[Dotta]

Whatever was happening,
I think the wife knew about it/was aware of what was going on.
He was arguing with someone on the phone in her presence
(according to neighbour).
They had been together for over a decade.

JMO

 

[Maat99]

I’m going with some financial shenanigans with the wrong people finally caught up with them. They tried to hand over jewelry as payment of sorts and maybe DS also tried to make a run for it. Things got out of hand either on purpose or unintentionally and both were murdered.

 

[saztina]

I sadly think that murder-suicide is becoming the most likely scenario here. It’s something I can never wrap my head around. Here in Ireland, there has been a shockingly large number of murder-suicides in recent years, for the size of our country anyway. It’s hard to imagine this scenario when looking at the pictures of them happy and smiling, but you just never know.

Murder-suicide now a ‘regular phenomenon’

A timeline of recent tragic cases in Ireland that involved murder-suicide

www.irishtimes.com

 

[Bigditch]

Hopefully I am going to word this right. What if he/they were anticipating a large insurance payout, but in an aboutface the claim was rejected, dismissed.

That might help explain the angry phone call.

 

[Sarahlou]

I'm not really surprised by much anymore. You can never go by how happy people appear in photos. Think of Chris Watts. Lots of lovely photos and videos of what appeared to be a very happy loving family.

 

[Dotta]

I’m going with some financial shenanigans with the wrong people finally caught up with them. They tried to hand over jewelry as payment of sorts and maybe DS also tried to make a run for it. Things got out of hand either on purpose or unintentionally and both were murdered.

Yep.
It seems....
Something very shady.
And some ruthless people whom nobody dares to cross, or else .....

JMO

 

[tree1]

Hopefully I am going to word this right. What if he/they were anticipating a large insurance payout, but in an aboutface the claim was rejected, dismissed.

That might help explain the angry phone call.

Good point and also the open garage door, could it have been staged to add credibility to a burglary, he made sure people knew about it?

 

[tree1]

Yep.
Something very shady.
And some ruthless people whom nobody dares to cross, or else .....

JMO

Interesting scenario

 

[VioletLilac]

I think in the photo of him buying lottery tickets he looks older and more ill kempt than he does in other photos. Makes we wonder if that's because he was depressed and had a lot on his mind, if the murder suicide theory is correct.

 

[Dotta]

I think in the photo of him buying lottery tickets he looks older and more ill kempt than he does in other photos. Makes we wonder if that's because he was depressed and had a lot on his mind, if the murder suicide theory is correct.

He looks fatter than in previous photos.
Each kilo gives your appearance more years.
But, ummm....
French cuisine is delicious.
And KitKats....yummy

JMO

 

[FromGermany1]

I think in the photo of him buying lottery tickets he looks older and more ill kempt than he does in other photos. Makes we wonder if that's because he was depressed and had a lot on his mind, if the murder suicide theory is correct.

He has thinner cheeks and sharper nasolabial folds, I notice. IMO

 

[bringmeacupoft]

Hmmmm

Post-mortem results reveal injuries of British couple found dead at home in France

The investigation continues into whether a third party was involved, or whether the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide.

news.sky.com

Detectives say Dawn Searle, 56, was found at their property in Les Pesquies with "several" injuries to her head, while her husband, Andrew Searle, 62, was found hanged with no visible defensive injuries.

A statement from the office of public prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said Ms Searle was found partially dressed with a major wound to her skull next to a box with jewellery inside.

But no object or weapon was found that could've caused the wounds, which an autopsy carried out in Montpellier on Monday found were caused by a blunt and sharp object. There were no signs of sexual assault.

The house appeared to have been quickly searched, while some cash was found in the couple's room.

 

[Cardgame]

Hmmmm

Post-mortem results reveal injuries of British couple found dead at home in France

The investigation continues into whether a third party was involved, or whether the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide.

news.sky.com

Detectives say Dawn Searle, 56, was found at their property in Les Pesquies with "several" injuries to her head, while her husband, Andrew Searle, 62, was found hanged with no visible defensive injuries.

A statement from the office of public prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said Ms Searle was found partially dressed with a major wound to her skull next to a box with jewellery inside.

But no object or weapon was found that could've caused the wounds, which an autopsy carried out in Montpellier on Monday found were caused by a blunt and sharp object. There were no signs of sexual assault.

The house appeared to have been quickly searched, while some cash was found in the couple's room.

The lack of defensive injuries is a red flag, isn't it? If there was someone in his house attacking his wife you would expect something. Perhaps if the intruder was armed, and Andrew was the first victim, this would explain it. It could be set up to make it look like murder/suicide, but I'm not sure that's more likely than the most obvious.

 

[Sarahlou]

Hmmmm

Post-mortem results reveal injuries of British couple found dead at home in France

The investigation continues into whether a third party was involved, or whether the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide.

news.sky.com

Detectives say Dawn Searle, 56, was found at their property in Les Pesquies with "several" injuries to her head, while her husband, Andrew Searle, 62, was found hanged with no visible defensive injuries.

A statement from the office of public prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said Ms Searle was found partially dressed with a major wound to her skull next to a box with jewellery inside.

But no object or weapon was found that could've caused the wounds, which an autopsy carried out in Montpellier on Monday found were caused by a blunt and sharp object. There were no signs of sexual assault.

The house appeared to have been quickly searched, while some cash was found in the couple's room.

Interesting that at the end of this article they have this:
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

Personally I feel AS could have set it up to look like it had been an attempted robbery, with the jewellery box, cash etc.