A 69-year-old woman has been arrested after a British mum-of-four was found stabbed to death at her home in France.
Karen Carter, 65, was found outside a home she owned and rented out in the village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday evening.
She was lying near her car with five stab wounds, pointing to ‘ferocious violence and a desire to kill’.
Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor for Bergerac, has now revealed a woman known to the victim has been detained over the attack.
The prosecutor said: ‘A woman aged 69-years-old, who comes from Trémolat and is part of the couple’s circle, has been detained.’
Alan Carter, her husband, said he only heard about his wife’s murder during a phone call with his cousin in the UK.
They had owned the property for around 15 years.
Karen’s body was discovered by a friend, who had also been out with her earlier in the evening.
Touching tributes have since been paid to the victim, who was described as someone ‘who got on with everybody’.
A Trémolat resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘Everyone is in total shock – she was a delightful, energetic person who got on with everybody.
‘We saw emergency vehicles in the village, and then lots of police cars, and then the area around her house was cordoned off.’
She added: ‘Nobody can understand how this could have happened in a peaceful place like this.
‘We are all keeping our doors locked – it is deeply worrying.’
Stab wounds to ‘breast, groin, arm, and leg’
‘The victim had several injuries, including five deep ones caused by a sharp object, notably on her right breast, groin, arm, and leg.
‘The injuries were particularly violent, and their location demonstrated an intent to kill.’
French regional newspaper Sud Ouest described the woman as a ‘British national’ and ‘an active participant in Trémolat life.’
Trémolat is a commune in the Dordogne, an area of France that is hugely popular with British tourists, second home owners and expat pensioners.
The British Foreign Office has been approached for comment while the investigation is ongoing.
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