One actor’s mother, who is a victim of a suicide murder in France, urged her friend not to attend the funeral of her stepfather.
Callum Kerr, who appeared in the Virgin River at Hollyoaks and Netflix, said the commemorative mother Dawn Searle, associated with husband Andrew Searle, was “inappropriate”.
The body of the couple was found on February 6 at a rural home in the Avilon region.
The prosecutor in charge of the case had previously told the BBC that it was a murder case, followed by suicide, and there was no evidence that another person was involved.
The statement posted on Kerr’s Instagram account on behalf of the actor and his sister Amanda, who was found dead for more than six months.
It is unclear why it took so long for French authorities to release Searle’s body when they were scheduled to hold a funeral.
Mr. Kerr, who is also a country singer in the United States, said that while investigations into the deaths were underway, they “can’t ignore the situation where they stood.”
“We must therefore respect but firmly demand that our mothers not be included in Andrew’s funeral arrangements in any way,” the statement continued.
They urged their mother’s friends not to attend the ceremony and asked people not to share photos of the Searle couple together.
The statement concluded: “It is inappropriate to be associated with respect to the service of the man who, based on all available evidence, may be responsible for her death.
“We demand understanding, privacy and respect as we continue to grieve for mom and seek justice.”
Andrew and Dawn Searle live in Les Pesquiès, north of Toulouse [BBC]
Mrs. Sel’s body was found in the garden of the mom-and-pop shop in the small village of Les Pesquiès, with head injuries.
Mr. Searle’s body was found in their home, about an hour north of Toulouse.
A neighbor warned police about the incident and went to check on them when the planned dogs failed to show up.
An autopsy confirmed that Mrs. Sell “had multiple blows to the head with blunt and sharp objects” and Mr. Sell died of hanging.
Mrs. Searle, 56, grew up in Eyemouth on the Scottish border, and Searle, 62, originally from England.
They used to live in Musselburg near Edinburgh and got married in France in 2023.
Prosecutors said they had lived in the Aveyron area for five years.
According to his LinkedIn page, Mr. Searle has previously conducted financial crime prevention at companies including Standard Living and Barclays.
