British couple found dead at house in southern France

A British couple have been found dead at a house in rural southwest France.

Investigators are reportedly looking at whether they were killed during a burglary but all lines of inquiry are said to remain open.

The identities of the victims have not been officially released but French news site La Depeche named them as Dawn and Andrew Searle.

Their bodies were discovered on Thursday in the hamlet of Les Pesquies, near Villefranche-de-Rouergue, in the Aveyron department.

French media reported they moved to the area about 10 years ago and were active in the local community.

Mr Searle is said to have previously worked as an organised crime financial investigator in the UK.

A LinkedIn profile in his name says he retired in 2015 after working for Barclays and Standard Life and was "enjoying life in rural France".

His page talks about "over 20 years experience specialising in Financial Crime Prevention (AML, Fraud and Anti-Bribery) with a high profile in the industry and an extensive network of contacts".

Read more from Sky News:
Two dead after plane crashes into busy road
Politician changes his name to 'Aussie Trump'

Police, gendarmerie, forensics officers and the public prosecutor were at the scene on Thursday, France3 reported.

It said a neighbour discovered their bodies and quoted the local mayor as saying they were a popular couple who had dogs and got on with everyone.

A Foreign Office spokesperson told Sky News: "We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities."

(c) Sky News 2025: British couple found dead at house in southern France