Detectives in France have issued a major update over the murders of British couple Andrew and Dawn Searle.

The couple were discovered dead at their home in the small hamlet of Les Pesquies, near Toulouse, last week in a case which has horrified both nations. Post-mortems have now been carried out on the couple, public prosecutors have announced.

In an official statement released this afternoon, prosecutor Nicolas Rigot-Muller said emergency services were called to the couple’s home in the remote village of Les Pesquies, north of Toulouse, after being alerted by a neighbour.

There they “found the body of Mrs Searle, partially undressed, in front of her home” before discovering Mr Searle’s body hanging from a radiator inside the property.”

The statement adds that Mrs Searle “had a significant wound on her skull” and a box of jewelry was found nearby – but “no objects or weapons capable of inflicting the injuries were found.

“Mr Searle was found hanging by a rope tied to a radiator [and] showed no visible defense injuries. [But] “the house appeared to have been roughly searched; cash was found in the couple’s bedroom.”

Officers are still investigating whether the couple died in a murder-suicide or if a third party was involved. Police investigating the case have so far refused to say whether they have identified any suspects.

The statement confirms autopsies were conducted yesterday. The results confirmed Mrs Searle sustained multiple blows to the skull with a blunt and sharp object but there was no sign of sexual assault.

It adds: “Further examinations (anatomical-pathological, toxicological) are ongoing to determine the precise circumstances of the deaths. Investigations are continuing, notably to determine whether the tragedy resulted from a marital crime followed by a suicide or from the intervention of a third party.”

Family members have reportedly travelled to France and spoken with the investigating team following the tragic discovery. It’s also emerged the couple’s bodies were discovered after Andrew failed to arrive for a regular dog walk with a friend. Mr Rigot-Muller previously said the couple both suffered “violent” deaths.

Today’s announcement comes after almost a week of speculation about what happened to the couple, who friends described as “very happily married.” Sources close to the police investigation initially suggested it was a burglary gone wrong. They then considered the possibility of a revenge attack because of Andrew’s work combatting financial fraud. Murder-suicide was also a line of inquiry.

Two British couples, close friends of the Searles, were keen to stand down the possibility of a murder-suicide. The Brit expats, who are in their late 60s and live in a nearby village, told the Mirror: “Us Brits, who knew Dawn and Andy very well, are certain this is not a murder-suicide. We saw them last at Christmas, they were absolutely normal. Life was good, why would they want to kill themselves?”

Questions about the couple’s possible financial difficulties also emerged. Local sources said it had taken Andrew over a year to settle a bill of several thousands euros, and was spotted looking tearful in December amid issues with his UK pension.

But the British couples, who were great friends with the pair and attended their wedding, dismissed suggestions they were hard up. They added: “They weren’t flashy by any means, but they were definitely comfortable and had it good out here.”

“They were always travelling – they recently went to a family wedding in Goa, they went to South America for their honeymoon. Dawn’s son Callum..had a baby and Dawn went over there for that and [she] had just come back from Scotland because her dad’s funeral was at the end of January.

“They were still working – Dawn was a project manager and Andy still did some freelance work. [And] they have a gite [holiday home] connected to the main house which they rented out and it was occupied most of the time which gave them a good income on the side.”

The couple married in 2023, with Dawn’s son Callum, a former Hollyoaks star, walking her down the aisle. Andrew is said to have moved his family to France a decade ago.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British couple who died in France and are liaising with the local authorities.”

Get email updates with the day’s biggest stories