French authorities are investigating the brutal murder of a British woman who was stabbed to death outside her holiday home in the picturesque Dordogne region.
Karen Carter, a 65-year-old mother-of-four, was discovered on the driveway of her property in the village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on April 29. She had just returned from a wine tasting event.
A Frenzied Attack and a Widening Probe
Despite the efforts of emergency medics, Mrs Carter died at the scene from severe blood loss. She had been stabbed eight times in a frenzied attack, with wounds to her chest, groin, arm, and leg.
According to reports in the French newspaper Le Parisien, police have conducted background checks on the builders who had been carrying out renovation work on her house. This is part of a wide-ranging investigation, though the builders are not currently treated as suspects.
Officers have been pursuing multiple lines of inquiry but are reportedly struggling to find hard evidence. During a raid on the home of a man in a neighbouring village, police seized two knives, but found no proof linking him to the crime.
Mystery DNA and a Secret Affair
Adding to the mystery, local media reports indicate that unidentified DNA samples were found in Karen Carter's car, which investigators have so far been unable to match.
The investigation has also revealed a personal tragedy within the crime. Mrs Carter, a British-South African national, had begun a romantic relationship with 74-year-old Jean-Francois Guerrier, the man who hosted the wine tasting and who later discovered her body.
Mr Guerrier was briefly detained by police in the early stages of the inquiry before being released without charge.
Karen's husband, Alan Carter, who was in South Africa at the time of the murder, said he had been unaware of his wife's affair. He told The Times that the police investigation confirmed 'a relationship I did not want to believe', leaving him with a feeling of complete betrayal.
A Life in the Village and Growing Distance
The couple, who purchased their Trémolat home in 2009, had grown distant in recent times, often living on different continents. While Mr Carter was in South Africa, his wife had become deeply engrossed in village life.
She worked closely with Mr Guerrier, pouring drinks for locals behind the bar at the Café Village. Another local, Marie-Laure Autefort, 69, was also arrested and released without charge after providing an alibi.
Mr Carter last saw his wife three weeks before her death and last spoke to her on the morning she was killed. He only learned of the tragedy the following afternoon from a relative who saw a post on the Café Village's Facebook page.
The investigation into the murder of Karen Carter continues as French police work to piece together the events of that night in the quiet village of Trémolat.
