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

[VioletLilac]

It's curious that he bought lotto tickets right before this as if it was his last desperate act to fix his financial problems. MOO

I thought that too.

 

[Bigditch]

Just a thought, however unlikely- but any chance they invested in Bitcoin and lost the password? speculation, imo.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.5875363/this-man-owns-321m-in-bitcoin-but-he-can-t-access-it-because-he-lost-his-password-1.5875366

'This man owns $321M in bitcoin — but he can't access it because he lost his password'​

Or lost their shirt.

 

[Bigditch]

Question: Can one homicide themselves?

 

[Dotta]

Question: Can one homicide themselves?

In the context of this case
homicide refers to alleged murder of wife by husband.
So, investigation deals with homicide.

The husband allegedly killed himself.

Murder-suicide
is the term referring to both deaths,
according to one theory.

Police investigate homicide/unlawful killing (murder).

Well,
They both might have been murdered.
Or only one was murdered.
And the other killed oneself.

Police don't exclude any variant.

If it is what you meant by your question?
I'm not sure if I understood you

Homicide means unlawful killing
of one person by another.

JMO

 

[Bigditch]

In the context of this case
homicide refers to alleged murder of wife by husband.
So, investigation deals with homicide.

The husband allegedly killed himself.

Murder-suicide
is the term referring to both deaths.

Police investigate homicide/unlawful killing (murder).

They both might have been murdered.
Or only one was murdered.
And the other killed oneself.

If it is what you meant by your question?
I'm not sure if I understood you

JMO

In the Scottish Sun article #535, dated Feb 24, 2025. It says, Cops confirm their "deaths were clearly a homicide."

Odd choice of words.

 

[Dotta]

In the Scottish Sun article #535, dated Feb 24, 2025. It says, Cops confirm their "deaths were clearly a homicide."

Odd choice of words.

Well,
It does not surprise me.
If you know what I mean.

 

[Dotta]

And I have a question too

Andrew & Dawn are called "ex-pats".
Does it mean immigrants?

Immigrants are those who want to settle in another country, right?
And they both settled in France.

Or does this "expat" mean that they were in France just for the time being?

I'm really curious if this term "expat" has special meaning
or is just a synonym of "immigrant"?

It is rarely used IMO.

 

[Zus]

And I have a question too

Andrew & Dawn are called "ex-pats".
Does it mean immigrants?

Immigrants are those who want to settle in another country, right?
And they both settled in France.

Or does this "expat" mean that they were in France just for the time being?

I'm really curious if this term "expat" has special meaning
or is just a synonym of "immigrant"?

It is rarely used IMO.

It's short for expatriate. There are legal definitions. But Brits (and the media) often use it to describe themselves living abroad, regardless of whether their situation fits with the legal definition. It doesn't illicit the same level of stigma as the term 'immigrant' does. I'd not vest too much thought into the term, it's often used incorrectly.

Your interpretation is correct, an expat is someone living abroad who intends to return to their native country. Yet the media will reference people who've retired abroad with no intention of returning as 'expats'. They are not.

 

[Officer Dibble]

Murder suicide would fit with sudden fit of rage. I wonder if she told him she was leaving him, that often seems to be a trigger in these cases.

Or one of them was seeing someone else? JMO

 

[Lucy6226]

I'm leaning towards the financial theory.Maybe gambling? However, after planting the robbery 'evidence' he could not face what he'd done, taking his wife outside so he didn't need to look at what he'd done to her.

That or a professional hitman that's done an excellent job of staging murder-suicide.

Which is the most far fetched? Moo

 

[Muddy K]

No murder weapon bothers me.

Assuming the scenario that currently seems to be favored by LE, murder-suicide, IMO he had considerable time to kill his wife, drag her body out the front door and do anything else he felt necessary to do before hanging himself. That includes cleaning the commonplace blunt object he used as a weapon and hiding it in plain sight simply by returning it to its customary location in the home.

Crazy like a fox, they sometimes say.

(For example, see the excellent 2018 documentary The Staircase, about Michael Peterson and the bludgeoning murder of his wife, Kathleen.)

 

[Dotta]

Assuming the scenario that currently seems to be favored by LE, murder-suicide, IMO he had considerable time to kill his wife, drag her body out the front door and do anything else he felt necessary to do before hanging himself. That includes cleaning the commonplace blunt object he used as a weapon and hiding it in plain sight simply by returning it to its customary location in the home.

Crazy like a fox, they sometimes say.

(For example, see the excellent 2018 documentary The Staircase, about Michael Peterson and the bludgeoning murder of his wife, Kathleen.)

I'm not sure
this "commonplace blunt object"
(quoting OP)
can be so thoroughly cleaned
that even the smallest drop of victim's blood is removed.

There are methods of bloody traces' detection.
This is 21st century after all

And really,
I'm more than sure that Police checked all these "objects hiding in plain sight".

It is, after all, an obvious procedure.

JMO

 

[dotr]

Reminded of the Alfred Hitchcock classic take on a R.D. fictional story. imo, fwiw, rbbm

Lamb to the Slaughter - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

''When the policemen (who are all friends of her husband) arrive, they ask Mary questions and look at the scene. Considering Mary above suspicion, the police conclude Patrick was killed by an intruder with a large blunt object, likely made of metal. As the men search the house for the murder weapon, Mary offers them whiskey, distracting a few of them from the hunt through the house. After they make a fruitless search around the house and surrounding area, Mary is reminded the leg of lamb is just about done and offers it to the policemen. She points out they have already been working through and past the dinner hour and that the meat will otherwise go to waste; they hesitate but accept in the end. During the meal, as Mary sits nearby but does not join them, the policemen discuss the murder weapon's possible location. One officer, his mouth full of meat, says it is "probably right under our very noses." Mary, overhearing them, starts giggling and laughing at the fact she got away with it.''

 

[VioletLilac]

Didn't someone say there's a river nearby? Could a weapon have been thrown in there?

 

[VioletLilac]

Reminded of the Alfred Hitchcock classic take on a R.D. fictional story. imo, fwiw, rbbm

Lamb to the Slaughter - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

''When the policemen (who are all friends of her husband) arrive, they ask Mary questions and look at the scene. Considering Mary above suspicion, the police conclude Patrick was killed by an intruder with a large blunt object, likely made of metal. As the men search the house for the murder weapon, Mary offers them whiskey, distracting a few of them from the hunt through the house. After they make a fruitless search around the house and surrounding area, Mary is reminded the leg of lamb is just about done and offers it to the policemen. She points out they have already been working through and past the dinner hour and that the meat will otherwise go to waste; they hesitate but accept in the end. During the meal, as Mary sits nearby but does not join them, the policemen discuss the murder weapon's possible location. One officer, his mouth full of meat, says it is "probably right under our very noses." Mary, overhearing them, starts giggling and laughing at the fact she got away with it.''

There was an episode of Tales of the Unexpected made of that story too. Frozen leg of lamb used as murder weapon then served to the policeman. Not saying that happened here of course.

 

[TonnnnUK]

Didn't someone say there's a river nearby? Could a weapon have been thrown in there?

yes, looks to be around 500 meter just across a field from the property. I had thought of that scenario too, assuming he would only go to this nearby sections of the river in his panic. BUT it looks to be a very small river, we're talking slightly wider than a 2 lane road. I don't think would take much to search for a weapon around that spot, if indeed it had been considered a place to at by the police.

 

[VioletLilac]

yes, looks to be around 500 meter just across a field from the property. I had thought of that scenario too, assuming he would only go to this nearby sections of the river in his panic. BUT it looks to be a very small river, we're talking slightly wider than a 2 lane road. I don't think would take much to search for a weapon around that spot, if indeed it had been considered a place to at by the police.

Yes. I was thinking a weapon heavy enough to kill someone wouldn't necessarily float down the river, but sink. Unless it was wooden I guess

 

[crespo29]

No murder weapon bothers me.

I think he had a few hours to get rid of any weapon and any other incriminating behaviour. If it exists, the weapon could be some distance away from the murder scene.

 

[Bigditch]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we still don't know who died first?

 

[Dotta]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we still don't know who died first?

And why would the husband drag the body of wife outside?

If the alleged burglars were inside the house plundering there
(during this "staged robbery").

Did the evidence show the woman was killed inside or outside?

I'm sure if she was outside,
she would shout for help while being murdered, no?

Regardless of who the perp/s was/were.
A husband or burglars.

Oh well...

JMO