France - Karen Carter, 65, stabbed to death, Dordogne, 29 April 2025

[Dotta]

Sorry for your loss.

It would be interesting to see if the life patterns of the people in the area changed, and how.

It drastically changed for M-L. I assume that she is accessible to the police.

However, her current behavior might be a clue. Disappearing implies, guilt or fear. She may be afraid of the police or the villagers easier finding “the missing clue” if she is around. Or she may be genuinely afraid of seeing JP. Alternatively, she could have seen or heard something that night and is hiding for own safety. But “hiding” points at an involvement of some type, right?

About the rest: life should change for the widower and the orphans, but how?

I expect some changes for JPG. If it was a revenge/hate/jealousy, he may be at risk as well. Does he isolate at home? If he is as active in the community as he was, it might indicate knowledge that it was a pure contract killing and the goal has been achieved.

I’d expect everyone’s behavior change with several unexplained deaths in/around the village. Lack of change would be interesting.

One thing is, we don’t know the whole financial situation of KC. Were there any properties (she liked wine) or businesses in common possession with a friend, for example? Could someone’s business enterprise take a hit if KC divorced and remarried, for example? She lived in the area for a long time. Sometimes a startup or a joint venture is suddenly starting to bring money, or she and someone could have owned a piece of vinery and one year, the wine was amazing. KC was into wine, in SA and in France, wasn’t she?

I'm a bit pessimistic.

I don't think we will see the conclusion of this tragedy

IMO
It was a random attack on a lone woman.

I think!!!
the attack was interrupted by a French male friend arriving.
The perp could have been a burglar targeting a British woman living alone.

I don't suspect anybody from the village.
Melodramatic motive some hypothesize about
does NOT convince me
The same refers to husband.

Business related?
Who knows?
But half a year has already passed
and still no clues?

JMO

I'm checking info periodically in the Internet.
After all,
I started this thread.

 

[Sjöberg]

It is quite rare that a women at the start of a divorce is killed and it is not connected to the (soon-to-be-ex-)husband. However, it is of course possible it was a stranger attack. I'd be more inclined to think that, if the murder was at a somewhat more logical and populated place, though. For someone to choose to strike at Tremolat in particular, I think they must have a connection to either the village or the victim. But it can be either, really.

 

[Kemug]

I'm a bit pessimistic.

I don't think we will see the conclusion of this tragedy

IMO
It was a random attack on a lone woman.

I think!!!
the attack was interrupted by a French male friend arriving.
The perp could have been a burglar targeting a British woman living alone.

I don't suspect anybody from the village.
Melodramatic motive some hypothesize about
does NOT convince me
The same refers to husband.

Business related?
Who knows?

RSBM
I think you may well be right Dotta. Just because someone is murdered doesn't mean that there has to be a motive. Likewise, just because someone may have a few secrets doesn't mean that there was a motive for murder. I don't think this one is ever going to be solved.

 

[Sjöberg]

It is quite rare that a women at the start of a divorce is killed and it is not connected to the (soon-to-be-ex-)husband. However, it is of course possible it was a stranger attack. I'd be more inclined to think that, if the murder was at a somewhat more logical and populated place, though. For someone to choose to strike at Tremolat in particular, I think they must have a connection to either the village or the victim. But it can be either, really.

I think one thing that is making me personally sceptical about the stranger attack is that there seems to have been no other aim than to kill fast and flee. No robbery (that a rich middle-aged single lady might be a target of), no sexual attack, no political agenda (like writing "go home, Brits"), no staging of the body or any other power play with the victim. Then there could be psychotic mental health issues, but that would look very different: messy, no planning, plenty of evidence, killer well-known for issues and a random encounter in one of his/her usual locations. So... then it leaves an organized purposeful stranger-killing, that is not motivated by payment or personal reasons, but desire to kill - like Kohberger and such dudes.
Therefore, IMO either it was an ordered killing by someone close to her (and there are a few people around her who could have a motive) or we have a purposeful (serial) killer with some connection to Dordogne département.

To focus on the second option (even though I find it less likely) this would IMO, statistically, be a young lone dude with some issues and an arrogant vibe, with previous issues of stalking or prowling or domestic violence or similar. Does anyone know, can we look into Dordogne police stats from the previous few years? Covid does mess the stats up, but maybe we can see an increase in something like that in 2024 compared to 2022-2023? Are there any other ways to try to look into the possible existance of such an offender developing?

 

[Dotta]

I think one thing that is making me personally sceptical about the stranger attack is that there seems to have been no other aim than to kill fast and flee. No robbery (that a rich middle-aged single lady might be a target of), no sexual attack, no political agenda (like writing "go home, Brits"), no staging of the body or any other power play with the victim. Then there could be psychotic mental health issues, but that would look very different: messy, no planning, plenty of evidence, killer well-known for issues and a random encounter in one of his/her usual locations. So... then it leaves an organized purposeful stranger-killing, that is not motivated by payment or personal reasons, but desire to kill - like Kohberger and such dudes.
Therefore, IMO either it was an ordered killing by someone close to her (and there are a few people around her who could have a motive) or we have a purposeful (serial) killer with some connection to Dordogne département.

To focus on the second option (even though I find it less likely) this would IMO, statistically, be a young lone dude with some issues and an arrogant vibe, with previous issues of stalking or prowling or domestic violence or similar. Does anyone know, can we look into Dordogne police stats from the previous few years? Covid does mess the stats up, but maybe we can see an increase in something like that in 2024 compared to 2022-2023? Are there any other ways to try to look into the possible existance of such an offender developing?

The perp was forced to flee
because
French friend of Karen arrived in a car checking on her when she hadn't called him she was safe at home.
He came within 10 minutes if IRC.
(Karen was even alive then.
Wasn't it reported?
Or is my memory playing tricks?)

And then ambulance + LE were called.

There was NO time for robbery, etc...
which OP mentioned in the 1st paragraph of the quoted post.

JMO

 

[Sjöberg]

The perp was forced to flee because French friend of Karen arrived in a car checking on her when she hadn't called him she was safe at home. He came within 10 minutes if IRC. Karen was even alive then.

But AFAIK, the friend never gave a description of the killer, the getaway car or anything, Karens house had not been entered etc. While it is possible the killer fled before any post-mortem plans because they noticed a car approaching while at the same time the car driver never saw them running from the scene, IMO we have nothing pointing towards the killer being interrupted in anything nor towards them only fleeing because the friend approached. We cannot rule out that the killer fled because of an approaching car, but killing her at the car first does not line up with neither sexual nor monetary motives. But I guess she could have been killed on purpose for reasons that were not finalized due to fleeing the scene, such as general hatered against X directed at Karen.

 

[Dotta]

But AFAIK, the friend never gave a description of the killer, the getaway car or anything, Karens house had not been entered etc. While it is possible the killer fled before any post-mortem plans because they noticed a car approaching while at the same time the car driver never saw them running from the scene, IMO we have nothing pointing towards the killer being interrupted in anything nor towards them only fleeing because the friend approached. We cannot rule out that the killer fled because of an approaching car, but killing her at the car first does not line up with neither sexual nor monetary motives. But I guess she could have been killed on purpose for reasons that were not finalized due to fleeing the scene, such as general hatered against X directed at Karen.

IMO
The friend's attention was focused on dying Karen, first aid + calling services.
Not looking for a perp.

Besides,
it was reported there were some bushes where the murderer could hide.

Well,
that is just My Amateur Opinion.

I obviously have NO idea what really took place.

As some say
there are as many opinions and points of view
as there are people.

JMO

 

[Dotta]

UPDATE!

"Police investigating murder of British expat in Dordogne
probe builders who had been renovating her house."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1988708833665884605

 

[Dotta]

UPDATE!

"Police investigating murder of British expat in Dordogne
probe builders who had been renovating her house."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1988708833665884605

To add:

Quote from the link above

"The builders are not being treated as suspects, however.

Officers are understood to have seized two knives during a raid on the home of a man in a neighbouring village, but there was no proof of his involvement in the murder.

Cops had also found DNA samples in Carter's car that they have been unable to identify, according to local media reports."

Now,
This reminds me of somehow similar cases in my country - Poland - recently.

A pair of guys who made some small repairs at single old ladies' houses,
later attacked and strangled them.
The women, knowing the workers, let them in.
The criminals burglarized the houses killing the ladies as they knew the culprits.
The public was aghast.
There were horrific headlines about attacks on female pensioners living alone (mostly widows in their 80/90ties).
Thank goodness the murderers were caught.
Terrible

So, really,
nothing will surprise me any more.

It seems Police are still busy investigating Karen's case.
Fingers

JMO

 

[Ssschu]

UPDATE!

"Police investigating murder of British expat in Dordogne
probe builders who had been renovating her house."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1988708833665884605

Glad they are being thorough.

 

[acutename]

Did she always call the French friend to say she got home safely? It is bothering me that they had this arrangement and that he rushed there when she did not call. Was she or or both of them concerned about safety for some particular reason?

 

[Sjöberg]

Cops had also found DNA samples in Carter's car that they have been unable to identify, according to local media reports."

That's also quite notable, as they collected a lot of DNA samples from the village. I am also interested in the type of DNA it was, but I don't think we'll find out any time soon (touch, blood, semen - different sources would give very different indications).

 

[ZaZara]

Snippets from the original article from Le Parisien that appears to be the source for the report in the Daily Mail:

After six months of investigation, mystery still surrounds the murder of Karen Carter, a British pensioner living in Trémolat in the Périgord region.

After six months of investigation as part of a judicial inquiry into murder, the killer is still at large, and the gendarmes of the Bordeaux investigation unit, supported by their colleagues in Bergerac, are still grappling with what now appears to be a genuine criminal mystery.

Forensic analysis of bloodstains has made it possible to reconstruct the victim's final moments. Karen Carter appears to have been stabbed in the back as she leaned towards the back seat of her SUV, presumably to retrieve her puppy.
Attacked by surprise, she turned to face her attacker before collapsing. The burglary theory has been ruled out and the neighbourhood investigation has not yielded any conclusive evidence. In this hamlet, there are only two houses close to Karen's cottage and no one saw or heard anything. No screams in the night, no suspicious movements either.

About M-L:

On 30 April, the day after the tragedy, Marie-Laure was taken into custody. But the suspect denied any involvement and there was no material evidence to incriminate her. Her property and car were searched, sniffer dogs were brought in and her friends and family were interviewed. A cave on her large property was even explored by speleologists. Nothing was found.

After around 40 hours in police custody, she was released. However, the investigating magistrates now in charge of the investigation remain intrigued by her particularly unstable psychological profile. In the weeks that followed, the former nursing assistant was admitted to a psychiatric facility in the Bordeaux region. She appears to be suffering from schizophrenia.

About the alleged divorce:

According to several of her acquaintances, Karen Carter had been involved in a bitter divorce battle for several months. Written correspondence between the couple even suggests that the division of their property, located in South Africa and France, had become a source of contention.
However, the far-fetched hypothesis of a femicide ordered by the husband from several thousand kilometres away does not appear to be supported by any material evidence to date. Recently, the investigating magistrate encountered difficulties accessing the victim's bank accounts, most of which are held in her native country.

In recent days, the investigation has continued with the questioning of several of the victim's close friends, including players from the senior team ‘Reines du Foot’ (Queens of Football).

BBM

 

[Dotta]

Snippets from the original article from Le Parisien that appears to be the source for the report in the Daily Mail:

After six months of investigation, mystery still surrounds the murder of Karen Carter, a British pensioner living in Trémolat in the Périgord region.

After six months of investigation as part of a judicial inquiry into murder, the killer is still at large, and the gendarmes of the Bordeaux investigation unit, supported by their colleagues in Bergerac, are still grappling with what now appears to be a genuine criminal mystery.

Forensic analysis of bloodstains has made it possible to reconstruct the victim's final moments. Karen Carter appears to have been stabbed in the back as she leaned towards the back seat of her SUV, presumably to retrieve her puppy.
Attacked by surprise, she turned to face her attacker before collapsing. The burglary theory has been ruled out and the neighbourhood investigation has not yielded any conclusive evidence. In this hamlet, there are only two houses close to Karen's cottage and no one saw or heard anything. No screams in the night, no suspicious movements either.

About M-L:

On 30 April, the day after the tragedy, Marie-Laure was taken into custody. But the suspect denied any involvement and there was no material evidence to incriminate her. Her property and car were searched, sniffer dogs were brought in and her friends and family were interviewed. A cave on her large property was even explored by speleologists. Nothing was found.

After around 40 hours in police custody, she was released. However, the investigating magistrates now in charge of the investigation remain intrigued by her particularly unstable psychological profile. In the weeks that followed, the former nursing assistant was admitted to a psychiatric facility in the Bordeaux region. She appears to be suffering from schizophrenia.

About the alleged divorce:

According to several of her acquaintances, Karen Carter had been involved in a bitter divorce battle for several months. Written correspondence between the couple even suggests that the division of their property, located in South Africa and France, had become a source of contention.
However, the far-fetched hypothesis of a femicide ordered by the husband from several thousand kilometres away does not appear to be supported by any material evidence to date. Recently, the investigating magistrate encountered difficulties accessing the victim's bank accounts, most of which are held in her native country.

In recent days, the investigation has continued with the questioning of several of the victim's close friends, including players from the senior team ‘Reines du Foot’ (Queens of Football).

BBM

Thank you.
Interesting info.
This bit about schizophrenia is very worrying
But...
no incriminating evidence was found.
I don't think the lady should be considered as a suspect.
Or...
Should she?

But let's let Police do their job.
They are professionals after all.
They should consider ALL possibilities.

An Open Mind.
NO tunnel vision.
I guess this is true detectives' motto.

Let the facts and evidence guide and lead to the murderer/s.

JMO

 

[indicolite22]

Forensic analysis of bloodstains has made it possible to reconstruct the victim's final moments. Karen Carter appears to have been stabbed in the back as she leaned towards the back seat of her SUV, presumably to retrieve her puppy.
Attacked by surprise, she turned to face her attacker before collapsing. The burglary theory has been ruled out and the neighbourhood investigation has not yielded any conclusive evidence. In this hamlet, there are only two houses close to Karen's cottage and no one saw or heard anything. No screams in the night, no suspicious movements either.

SBM. She was previously reported to have received eight injuries, including to the chest, groin, arm and leg. It appears that she fought back despite being surprised from the back.

After around 40 hours in police custody, she was released. However, the investigating magistrates now in charge of the investigation remain intrigued by her particularly unstable psychological profile. In the weeks that followed, the former nursing assistant was admitted to a psychiatric facility in the Bordeaux region. She appears to be suffering from schizophrenia.

Her brother stated that she (M-L) was destroyed by the accusations against her. Perhaps she was just a fantasist before. By J-F picking Karen instead of her, she must have known her fantasy wasn't coming true.

About the alleged divorce:

According to several of her acquaintances, Karen Carter had been involved in a bitter divorce battle for several months. Written correspondence between the couple even suggests that the division of their property, located in South Africa and France, had become a source of contention.
However, the far-fetched hypothesis of a femicide ordered by the husband from several thousand kilometres away does not appear to be supported by any material evidence to date. Recently, the investigating magistrate encountered difficulties accessing the victim's bank accounts, most of which are held in her native country.

So it's not just Karen's English friend's word against the husband's? He tried to deny he and Karen were heading for a divorce. It's convenient for some that the French judge has trouble accessing banking records in SA.

 

[indicolite22]

In Le Parisien article quoted above it is stated that a mix of male and female DNA was found in Karen's car.

Also, according to J-F, he showed up at her home ten minutes after her to spend the night (initially it was said that he was worried because she didn't respond to his calls). If someone was observing the house for a few days, they would probably know that he visited her at night before (according to the neighbor).

 

[Dotta]

So it's not just Karen's English friend's word against the husband's? He tried to deny he and Karen were heading for a divorce. It's convenient for some that the French judge has trouble accessing banking records in SA.

RSBM

Re Karen's husband...

Why would the man bare his soul to tabloids??
Divorce & alleged "battles" are PRIVATE matters.
Matters between the spouses.

He described his late wife in beautiful words to the public,
as a proud and honourable man would.

"Never say bad things about the dead",
"never wash dirty linen in public"
- these are common in civilized societies.

After all,
they once had a good life together
and had children
who might read these words one day.

JMO

 

[Charlot123]

RSBM

Re Karen's husband...

Why would the man bare his soul to tabloids??
Divorce & alleged "battles" are PRIVATE matters.
Matters between the spouses.

He described his late wife in beautiful words to the public,
as a proud and honourable man would.

"Never say bad things about the dead",
"never wash dirty linen in public"
- these are common in civilized societies.

After all,
they once had a good life together
and had children
who might read these words one day.

JMO

I don't know much about him.

I think that if tabloids disclosed it in a way of her "having an affair", or cheating on him. No man would like to be presented to the world as a "cornuto" (an Italian term). So AC was trying to put on a good face. If the newspapers were more honest about the situation, it wouldn't look so bad for him. (He, blissfully unaware, and her, cheating behind his back - i bet it was different IRL).

Also, consider this. There are four kids. Yes, they are adults. Yes, they live in different countries. But they may not enjoy their mom being discussed in tabloids. I think that AC was trying to protect them from excessive trauma.

 

[indicolite22]

If Karen and her husband were in a bitter divorce battle for several months, even arguing about property division in messages, I wonder what she and him discussed when they spoke in the morning of her last day. He made it sound like they still talked daily, but that's not likely when you're in an adversarial position. Karen's friend said that she seemed worried when they met the previous evening, and when Karen told her about filing for divorce. That's strange if the divorce battle was already going on for months. The friend knew that Karen was shopping for another cottage just for herself in Tremolat, while the husband claimed it was for both of them.

IMO we have two people (husband and love rival) with potentially strong separate motives, but zero proof of their involvement, if you discount issuing some misleading information.

 

[indicolite22]

M-L's brother previously told the media that she was "in a bad way" after the long interrogation and that she left the village because she couldn't take the stigma. This could now be also explained with an onset of MH issues. It probably didn't help that that J-F himself suggested her name to police.