Callum Kerr, a Scottish actor and country singer known for his roles in Hollyoaks and Netflix’s Virgin River, has made a deeply personal plea following the tragic deaths of his mother, Dawn Searle, and stepfather, Andrew Searle, in France. In a statement released on August 19, 2025, via Instagram and attributed to both himself and his sister Amanda, Kerr urged friends of his late mother not to attend Andrew Searle’s funeral, emphasizing the importance of keeping his mother’s memory separate from the man who, based on all available evidence, may have been responsible for her death.
The couple’s bodies were discovered on February 6, 2025, at their country home in the hamlet of Les Pesquiès, located in the Aveyron region of southern France, about an hour north of Toulouse. According to BBC Scotland News, police were alerted to the scene by a neighbor who became concerned after the couple failed to appear for a planned dog walk. The neighbor’s check-in led to the grim discovery: Dawn Searle, 56, was found in the garden with severe head wounds, while Andrew Searle, 62, was found inside the house, having died by hanging.
French prosecutors, including Fabrice Belargent, have stated that the case is being treated as a murder followed by suicide. There is no evidence to suggest the involvement of a third party. Post-mortem examinations confirmed that Dawn Searle suffered “multiple blows to the head with a blunt and sharp-edged object,” while Andrew Searle’s injuries were consistent with self-hanging, with no defensive wounds found on his body. A box containing jewelry was found near Dawn Searle, but, notably, investigators did not recover any weapon that could have caused her injuries. The investigation remains ongoing, and the reasons for the prolonged delay in releasing Andrew Searle’s body for burial, or the scheduling of his funeral, are still unclear, as reported by the BBC.
The family’s statement, issued more than six months after the couple’s deaths, is unequivocal in its request: “For this reason, we must respectfully but firmly request that our mother not be included in any way in the funeral arrangements being made for Andrew.” The statement continues, “Please do not share photographs of them together. Please do not attend Andrew’s service if you were a friend of our mother.” The siblings stress that it would be “inappropriate for her memory to be associated with a service honouring the man who, based on all available evidence, may have been responsible for her death.”
Kerr and his sister’s appeal comes amid their ongoing grief and pursuit of justice for their mother. “We ask for understanding, privacy and respect as we continue to grieve and seek justice for our mum.” The siblings’ message is clear: while the official investigation has not yet concluded, the prevailing hypothesis remains that of a murder-suicide, and they cannot ignore the circumstances as they currently stand.
Dawn Searle, originally from Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders, and Andrew Searle, who hailed from England, had both retired and settled in France five years ago. The couple previously lived in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, before marrying in France in 2023. According to information from their LinkedIn profiles and corroborated by multiple outlets, Andrew Searle had a background in financial crime prevention, working for major firms such as Standard Life and Barclays Bank.
The shock of the tragedy has reverberated not only within the family but also among the British expatriate community in Aveyron, where the couple had become well-known over the past half-decade. The case has drawn attention in both the UK and France, with media outlets like the BBC and The Scotsman reporting on the details as they have emerged. The explicit request from the Kerr siblings for friends and acquaintances to refrain from attending Andrew Searle’s funeral or sharing images of the couple together underscores the complex emotions and unresolved questions that linger in the wake of such a violent and intimate act.
The investigation, led by French authorities, has thus far failed to identify any suspect other than Andrew Searle. Prosecutor Fabrice Belargent reiterated, “The analysis carried out does not so far show any evidence that a third party was involved.” This official stance is echoed in the family’s statement, which notes, “In the absence of any evidence suggesting third-party involvement in the tragic death of our mother, Dawn Kerr, the prevailing hypothesis remains that of a murder-suicide.”
Still, the siblings’ grief is compounded by the ambiguity and the slow pace of the investigation. More than six months have passed since the tragedy, and the family remains without closure. The statement’s timing—so long after the deaths—reflects both the ongoing nature of the investigation and the emotional toll it has taken. The delay in the release of Andrew Searle’s body by French authorities has only added to the family’s distress and uncertainty about the future.
In their public statement, Callum and Amanda Kerr also asked that “our mother not be included in any way in the funeral arrangements being made for Andrew.” They urged friends of their mother to avoid attending the service and discouraged the sharing of any photographs showing the couple together. The family’s reasoning was stark: “It would be inappropriate for her memory to be associated with a service honouring the man who, based on all available evidence, may have been responsible for her death.”
The case has highlighted the emotional complexities faced by families in the aftermath of domestic tragedies, particularly those involving expatriates far from home. It has also drawn attention to the procedures and delays that can occur when deaths are investigated in a foreign country, as well as the difficulties in obtaining closure when the legal process is protracted.
As the investigation continues, the Kerr family’s focus remains on honoring Dawn Searle’s memory independently of her husband’s. Their appeal for privacy and respect serves as a reminder of the human stories behind the headlines—a family seeking justice, understanding, and the space to mourn a beloved mother whose life ended so suddenly and violently. For now, the community in Aveyron and beyond waits with them, hoping for answers and a measure of peace.