A murder investigation has been launched in southwest France a British couple were found dead at their isolated countryside home.
Friends of the husband and wife – who have not been named – visited the home in Boudrac, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, south of Toulouse, after not hearing from them for a few days.
When they arrived at their home – which they had planned to turn into a bed and breakfast – on Sunday afternoon, they found the lifeless body of their friend, a 65-year-old woman.
Christophe Amunzateguy, the local prosecutor, revealed forensics confirmed she had been dead for “some days” and had a rope around her neck, report Mirror Online.
“Wounds were also found on her body – there were signs of strangulation and blows,” he said.
When gendarmes arrived later they found the woman’s husband, 64, dead in an outhouse.
“He was found hanged, and had left a note,” said Mr Amunzateguy.
“The couple had a project to open a guesthouse but it was ended because of financial difficulties,’’ Mr Amunzateguy added.
Confirming that a murder investigation had been opened, Mr Amunzateguy, the public prosecutor in Saint-Gaudens, said “there was no evidence of a third party being involved”.
He added that an autopsy would be performed on each of the bodies on Tuesday, to try and establish a cause of death.
The couple had bought their house in Boudrac – which has a population of around 130 – in early 2021 and wanted to turn it into a bed and breakfast.
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