Deaths of British couple in France being treated as murder-suicide, reports say
NEWS | 03 April 2025
The deaths of a married British couple at their home in the south of France are being treated as a murder – and suicide, according to reports. Andrew Searle and Dawn Kerr, both in their 60s, were found dead in the hamlet of Les Pesquiès in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron, on 6 February. Kerr was found lying dead in front of her house partly undressed and with a significant head injury and Searle was found hanged inside. Police launched an investigation to establish whether the couple died as a result of a murder-suicide, or if a third party was involved. The BBC reported that the prosecutor in charge of the case has now told the broadcaster there is no evidence that anybody else was involved in the deaths. It is understood Kerr and Searle were the mother and stepfather of the Scottish actor and musician Callum Kerr, who played PC George Kiss in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, and appeared in Netflix’s Virgin River. A statement posted on Callum Kerr’s social media accounts on 8 February said: “At this time, Callum Kerr and Amanda Kerr are grieving the loss of their mother, Dawn Searle (nee Smith, Kerr), while Tom Searle and Ella Searle are mourning the loss of their father, Andrew Searle.” It asked for the family’s privacy to be respected “during this difficult period”. According to Searle’s LinkedIn page, he was a retired fraud investigator specialising in financial crime prevention who worked at companies including Standard Life and Barclays. A statement issued by French prosecutors in February said: “The two deceased persons, a man and a woman, were the owners of the house in which their bodies were discovered. They were British expatriates, retired, and had been living in Aveyron for five years. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to First Edition Free daily newsletter Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters Enter your email address Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy . We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion “The first victim, Ms Kerr, has a significant head injury. A box containing jewellery was found near to her, but no item or weapon which could have caused the injuries were located. “Mr Searle, who was found hanged … did not show any visible defensive injuries.”
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