A British couple found dead in a suspected murder suicide at their property in France have been named by police.
John Boyes, 64, is believed to have repeatedly hit and strangled wife Kathryn Boyes, 65, at their house in the village of Boudrac, south of Toulouse.
Leaving his partner's mutilated body on a sofa, Boyes then walked to an outhouse on the grounds of the property before taking his own life, the Mirror reports.
The bodies were discovered on Sunday, April 24 by local gendarmes, however it is believed they died on the Thursday before.
Speaking of Mrs Boyes, public prosecutor Christophe Amunzateguy said: "She had been dead for some days and had a rope around her neck.
"Wounds were also found on her body – there were signs of strangulation and blows.
"There was no evidence of a third party being involved."
He added a note left by Boyes pointed to financial difficulties.
The couple, who were both British, are thought to have moved to the area to turn the property into a B&B before experiencing severe financial problems.
They moved to France around a decade ago before settling in Boudrac, which has a population of around 130, last summer.
They bought a series of buildings in Boudrac for around £200,000 with the intention of converting them into a B&B business.
But as the project became more expensive, their savings began to run out and they found themselves with ‘severe financial problems,’ said Mr Amunzateguy.
A near neighbour said: "They were very nice people who would often be out walking their dog.
"They mixed well with everyone else in the village, including joining in games of petanque. They were very typical, nice British people.
"People said they had stopped hearing their dog barking, and that’s why there were fears something might have happened."
Mr Amunzateguy said autopsies were being performed on each of the bodies on Tuesday, to try and confirm causes of death.
The Boyes’s dog is thought to have been found inside one of the buildings, and was unharmed.
The area around Boudrac, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, is full of expats and second home-owners from Britain.
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