British couple found dead in French villa named as fears former organised crime financial investigator was 'murdered'
7 February 2025, 13:52 | Updated: 7 February 2025, 17:43
A British man found dead with his wife inside their isolated French villa was a financial crime investigator, it has been revealed.
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Andrew Searle and his wife Dawn were discovered by a neighbor in Les Pesquiès, south of Villefranche-de-Rouergue, on Thursday afternoon.
A source investigating the matter said it was initially feared their deaths “might have been a burglary gone wrong”. Officials later warned the pair may be murder victims.
Mr Searle worked with the police and the Serious Fraud Office for the last two decades in the “fight against organised crime and terrorism”.
Mr Searle is thought to have moved with his family to France a decade ago, retiring in 2015 from his job in Scotland in the financial crime assurance arm of Barclaey’s Bank.
He later conducted “sanction screening” in his later roles, involving a check on individuals and groups who might be barred from dealing in the UK because of their links with rogue states, terror groups or drug traffickers.
Read more: British couple found dead inside 'isolated' French villa in 'feared burglary gone wrong'
This is why investigators believe Mr Searle may have been deliberately killed.
An investigating source 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. “This is currently the prioritised line of enquiry, because Mr Searle was once involved in the fight against organised crime and terrorism."
At least three neighbours have confirmed Mr and Mrs Searles were the victims as police withheld their identities. One said: "Andy and Dawn 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."
Their French villa and its grounds were cordoned off as forensics officers investigated the scene on Thursday.
A helicopter landed in a nearby field while drones circled above. The house is very isolated, close to thick woods, and it may have been targeted, sources say.
It is believed that the Searles were murdered inside their detached property, which has a two-bedroom flat they frequently rented out, The Mirror resorts.
It has a swimming pool and lies by thick woods which leave it in an isolated position away from the middle of the hamlet.
While it was initially feared that the owners were victims of an apparent burglary gone wrong, other officials have suggested 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 judicial enquiry and have “not ruled out any theory”.
