A British expat purchased lottery tickets and his favourite chocolate bars in a remote French hamlet shop chatting breezily in French with the shopkeeper. Hours later he was found dead alongside his wife.
Andrew Searle, 62, visited the only shop for Les Pesquiès’ 100 residents on Wednesday evening, allowing a lady carrying a child to leave before entering.
He is seen on CCTV calmly picking up his regular pair of 3 euro Lottery tickets before thanking the shopkeeper and hopping back in his car outside where his wife Dawn Searle, 56, was waiting.
It is believed to be the last sighting of the retired financial crimes investigator before he was discovered dead alongside his wife in their converted cottage tucked away in woods in south west France.
Ms Searle was found lying outside the house in pyjamas with head injuries. Items of jewellery were scattered around her body, according to local media. Mr Searle reportedly was discovered inside the rural home by police.
Shopkeeper Isabelle Palazy, 58, said her regular customer seemed normal and relaxed. "I just couldn't believe it when I heard the news”, she told Mail Online.
"He would come in every day and buy Fortuna Blue cigarettes. That day he came in just before I was closing and he seemed perfectly happy, he was relaxed and he chatted and bought some chocolate and two lottery tickets.
"Thinking that they were to die less than 24 hours later makes me go cold, I just can't believe it. They were a lovely couple, always happy and chatting and they spoke reasonably good French.
"He was working on his house, and he would come and boy chocolate bars here, KitKat and Kinder were his favourite."
Mr Searle’s father said on Saturday the deaths leave “thousands of questions”.
Fred Searle, 88, from Littlehampton, West Sussex, flew to France yesterday as his son spoke of his grief.
“We’ve got thousands of questions and very few answers,” Mr Searle, a former British Army major, told The Sunday Times.
Town mayor Jean-Sébastien Orcibal said the deaths were “clearly a homicide” and dismissed speculation that it was a “burglary gone wrong”.
Prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said both had died a "violent death".
He added: "All leads remain under serious consideration." When asked if this could be a murder-suicide case Rigot-Muller said: "It's being considered."
Ms Searle’s son is former Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr. In a statement posted to social media, the 30-year-old said: “At this time, Callum Kerr, Amanda Kerr, Tom Searle & Ella Searle are grieving the tragic loss of their mother and father, Dawn and Andrew Searle.
“No family member is available for media interviews or comments. We kindly request that their privacy be respected during this difficult period. We will provide updates as appropriate.”
Mr Kerr moved to the United States to pursue a career in country music after starring in the soap as PC George Kiss.
He previously shared images on social media of him walking his mother down the aisle to marry Mr Searle in 2023.
He wrote at the time: “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 couple moved to France from Scotland a decade ago after Mr Searle spent his career fighting organised crime and terrorism.
This included tackling money-laundering syndicates in countries where sanctions have been imposed, such as Russia.
Mr Searle reportedly also worked in financial crime prevention at Standard Life and Barclays Bank. Their home is situated in a wooded area near the hamlet of Les Pesquiés which has a population of just 100 people.
It has been turned into an extensive crime scene, where forensic teams have been hunting for evidence. A helicopter and drones flew overhead in the search for clues.
The home and its grounds remained cordoned off on Friday, and police were carrying out house-to-house enquiries.
An investigating source said: “A criminal inquiry 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.
“This is currently the prioritised line of enquiry, because Mr Searle was once involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.”
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.”
