Retired couple Dawn and Andrew Searle seemingly lived an idyllic life together in a small French hamlet. Former criminal investigator Andrew, 62, and his wife Dawn, the mother of ex-Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr, were killed in tragic circumstances last week. The couple had previously lived in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, before moving to France a decade ago. Neighbours have described them as "lovely" and "very nice" people, and friends have said they were "absolutely normal".
The couple were devastatingly found dead at their home in Les Pesquies, around 50 miles from Toulouse, on Thursday, February 7, with local authorities stating that it was "clearly a homicide". Almost a week after their deaths, prosecutors have confirmed how the pair were tragically found and revealed "the house appeared to have been roughly searched" with cash found in their bedroom. In an official statement released today, prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said emergency services were called to the couple's property after being alerted by a neighbour. There, they "found the body of Mrs Searle, partially undressed, in front of her home", near a box of jewellery, before discovering Mr Searle's body hanging from a radiator inside.
The Searles relocated to France permanently 10 years ago and are said to have been very integrated with the local community. Andrew, who retired in 2015, said he was "enjoying life in rural France" in a LinkedIn post. One neighbour told Sky News: "They would enjoy life, they would travel and sometimes go home as well.". Dawn had two children, country musician Callum and his sister Amanda Kerr. Andrew also had two children, Tom and Ella Searle. The four children shared a public statement after their parents' deaths that read: "We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period. We will provide updates as appropriate.".
Locals described Andrew and Dawn as "good neighbours" who would often be seen walking their two dogs. One woman who lived nearby said: "Each year in September they would do this big dinner with all the village and invite everyone. They were very nice people." Another said they "always had a smile on their face". Andrew and Dawn tied the knot in September 2023, just 18 months before they were killed, and Netflix star Callum, 30, walked his mother down the aisle. Callum donned a tartan kilt for the occasion and Dawn, 56, was seen beaming in a long, white dress as she clutched a posy of flowers.
He took to Instagram to pay tribute after the wedding, writing: "Not many people can say they walked their own mother down the aisle. What a pleasure!!! I love you mum. Congrats to Dawn and Andy on their wonderful wedding day and here's to a tremendous life together for the happy couple." The comments section was filled with messages of congratulations for Callum and his family. Andrew, who was originally from West Sussex, spent more than 20 years working with police and the Serious Fraud Office. This included work in the field of "sanctions screening" - the process of checking individuals and groups who may be banned from dealing in the UK on account of their links with rogue nations, terrorist groups and drug traffickers.
It's thought this would have brought Andrew to the attention of networks operating across the globe. A source previously said: "A criminal enquiry has been launched, and the fear is that the couple were murdered. They were very fit, and very popular locally, but there is a theory that they were being pursued by criminals from the United Kingdom.". The source continued: "This is currently the prioritised line of enquiry, because Mr Searle was once involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. It may well be that gangsters with a score to settle are behind these killings.".
However, a former colleague based in the UK has refuted claims of a revenge hit. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the colleague - who asked to remain anonymous - said: "There is no way he could have been the target of a gangland hit. He was senior but not hierarchical. The bad guys just see the organisations declining them and try new routes or try to learn how to circumnavigate. "Criminals just see the organisation, not the individuals in the teams or running the teams. They'd have a full-time job following through on vendettas." He added that everyone who knew Andrew was stunned after his death, adding that he was a "really nice guy".
One of Andrew's former colleagues has described the couple as 'beautiful people'. Keith Falconer, who worked with Andrew at insurance firm Standard Life, wrote on LinkedIn: "Really struggling to process the tragic and horrific story about my former colleague Andrew Searle. My thoughts are with his family.". David Williams, a chief financial officer, added: "Devastating news, can't believe this has happened to two such beautiful people." It came after Andrew's father, Fred Searle, 88, expressed his grief following his son's tragic death. He said: "We've got thousands of questions and very few answers.".