A British couple found dead at their French holiday home have been identified as the mother and stepfather of former Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr. Dawn Searle, 56, and her husband Andrew, 62, were discovered on Thursday in Les Pesquiès, near Villefranche-de-Rouergue, with investigators confirming their "deaths were clearly a homicide.". Mr Searle, a retired financial crime expert, had spent over two decades investigating organised crime, money laundering and terrorist financing, leading investigators to probe possible links to his former work.
"A criminal enquiry has been launched and the fear is that the couple were murdered," said a French investigating source. "There is a theory that they were being pursued by criminals from the United Kingdom.". The couple had married just five months ago, with Kerr, 30, who played PC George Kiss in Hollyoaks, walking his mother down the aisle. The actor had shared photos of the September wedding on Instagram, writing: "Not many people can say they walked their own mother down the aisle. What a pleasure!! I love you mum.".
Mr Searle's professional background included 21 years at Standard Life as UK & Europe Financial Crime Manager and consultancy work for Barclays. His LinkedIn profile stated he was "Responsible for all Anti-Financial Crime matters in the UK & Europe function.". The investigation source added: "It may well be that gangsters with a score to settle are behind these killings.". Initial reports suggesting a burglary gone wrong have been dismissed as investigators focus on possible connections to Mr Searle's career fighting financial crime and terrorism.
