Andrew and Dawn Searle: BBC visits hamlet in France where British couple died

Locals who knew Andrew and Dawn Searle describe their shock - this is a difficult moment for a rural community in the glare of a criminal investigation.
British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersFrightened looks and military vehicles in French hamlet where British couple died2 days agoChris BockmanBBC NewsReporting fromLes Pequiès, south west FranceFacebookBritish couple Andrew and Dawn Searle were found dead earlier this monthFor the final 15km (9.3 miles) of the journey from Toulouse to the hamlet of Les Pequiès, you travel on narrow winding roads through hilly, dense woodlands. Without a reliable GPS system you can get lost very quickly, especially at night.
I expected the home of Andrew and Dawn Searle, the British couple found dead earlier this month, to be remote. That's the suggestion from the photos of the crime scene I had seen. But I was surprised when I arrived to find it well within shouting distance of several homes.
It's an important detail because Dawn's partly naked body was discovered outside the front of the house on Thursday morning last week. The prosecutor in charge of the case, Nicolas Rigot-Muller, said she had severe head wounds caused by a blunt weapon. Any screams would have been heard very clearly by neighbours.
Her husband's body was found hanging inside the back of the house. The prosecutor says no weapon has been found, that there's no obvious sign of a burglary nor evidence that Andrew put up a fight, nor of a sex crime.
A friend discovered Dawn's body when she came around to the house with her dog. The couple had two big dogs of their own, and they often walked with the friend or several other dog owners I talked to in the quiet hamlet.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj91kgv8v1lo
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