A British woman who was found dead alongside her husband in rural France is the mother of former Hollyoaks star Callum Kerr.
The lifeless bodies of married couple Dawn and Andrew Searle, 56 and 62, were discovered on Thursday afternoon by a dog walker in Les Pesquies, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue.
Although the police have not officially released their identities, at least three neighbours confirmed the Searles were the victims of what detectives fear may have been an attack carried out by British gangsters.
Now MailOnline can reveal that Mrs Searle’s son is the Scottish actor known for his role as PC George Kiss in the Channel 4 soap between 2020 and 2021.
The actor-turned-country singer, who is currently based in Nashville, had shared a snap on Instagram with Mrs Searle, also known as Dawn Kerr, in September 2023, walking her down the aisle.
‘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’, he wrote in a social media post on his mother’s wedding day.
On Friday afternoon, grisly details emerged about the couple’s deaths in French media, including that Mr Searle could have been ‘tortured’ before he was killed.
Reports claim that Mrs Searle’s naked body was found outside the house with jewellery scattered around her – and that she had suffered head injuries.
Meanwhile Mr Searle, a former counter-fraud specialist, was reportedly discovered hanged inside the house with a gag stuffed in his mouth.
Detectives fear that the couple, both from Scotland, could have been murdered by ‘criminals from the United Kingdom’.
Brit Dawn Searle (Kerr) who was murdered in France this week has been revealed to be the mother of former Hollyoaks actor Callum Kerr (pictured together)
Andrew and Dawn Searle, who were in their 60s, were found dead Thursday afternoon
Andrew Searle is said to have moved his family to France a decade ago after working as a financial investigator in the ‘fight against organised crime and terrorism’
An investigating source said on Friday: ‘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.
‘This is currently the prioritised line of enquiry, because [the husband] was once involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism.’
Mr Searle is said to have moved his family to France a decade ago after working as a financial investigator in the ‘fight against organised crime and terrorism’.
It is understood that Mr Searle spent at least 20 years working with the the police and Serious Fraud Office against organised crime groups involved in financial crimes such as money laundering.
This included work in ‘sanctions screening’, which is the process of checking individuals and groups who might be barred from dealing in the UK because of their links with rogue nations, terrorist groups and drugs traffickers.
This would have brought Mr Searle to the notice of networks working across the globe, in countries such as Russia.
Mr Searle was originally from West Sussex, while his wife came from Scotland.
The former counter-fraud specialist retired to France in 2015 from his professional life in Scotland, after working in the financial crime assurance arm of Barclay’s Bank in Edinburgh.
The Scottish actor known for his role as PC George Kiss (pictured) in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks between 2020 and 2021
Callum and Dawn pictured together on Dawn’s wedding day in 2023
A British couple were today found dead in their isolated home in south west France following a possible ‘burglary gone wrong’ (file photo of Villefranche-de-Rouergue)
Before this, the Liverpool John Moores University graduate was at Standard Life, which is also based in the Scottish capital.
He maintained a LinkedIn account, in which he wrote: ‘Reponsible for the delivery of significant improvements in AFC [Anti-Financial Crime] capability, developing effective operating models within a Group structure.’
One neighbour told MailOnline: ‘[They] were lovely – hearing about this is extremely distressing.
‘They were extremely friendly, and always out and about. What has happened has caused a lot of fear.’
It is thought that the husband and wife were killed inside their detached property, which includes a two-bedroom flat that was regularly occupied by paying visitors.
The Searles advertised their home extensively online. There is a swimming pool outside, and then thick woods which put the house in an isolated position, away from the centre of the hamlet.
While investigators originally feared ‘a burglary gone wrong,’ local officials on Friday suggested there could be other motives.
Jean-Sebastien Orcibal, the Mayor of Villefranche, said: ‘We do not really have burglaries in our town, and especially not violent burglaries.’
Local prosecutors have launched a criminal enquiry, with judicial police and gendarmes are supporting them.
The house and its grounds remained cordoned off on Friday, with forensics officers examining the entire property.
Drones could also be seen circling overhead, while house-to-house enquiries were being carried out by gendarmes.
Nobody has yet been arrested in connection with the deaths.
Villefranche-de-Rouergue is in the Aveyron department – the French version of a county. It is full of British expats, and holiday home owners from the UK.
Another local source said the couple ‘had numerous friends locally and further afield including in Britain, and often organised dinner parties.’
He added: ‘They both loved the countryside, and were very happily settled. They were very proud of their house, which is situated well away from other buildings in the hamlet’.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office told MailOnline: ‘We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the Local Authorities.’
