A murder investigation has been opened in southwest France after the bodies of a British couple were found at their isolated countryside home.
An unnamed woman was found dead with a rope around her neck by concerned friends who went to the couple’s house in Boudrac after not hearing from them for at least three days.
Local prosecutor Christophe Amunzateguy said: ‘Wounds were also found on her body – there were signs of strangulation and blows.’
Her husband was found by police hanged in an outhouse with a note next to him.
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.’
The couple bought their house early last year and had wanted to open a guesthouse.
They never achieved their goal after being plunged into financial difficulty.
Autopsies will take place on Tuesday to try and establish a cause of death.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: ‘Our consular staff are available to support British nationals 24/7. We have nothing further to add at this stage. ‘
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