Dordogne murder: why no news one year on?

No new leads have been made public and no charges brought, one year on from the brutal murder of a British woman in a Dordogne village, highlighting how investigations in France differ from those in the US and UK.

Karen Carter, 65, was stabbed eight times after returning home from a wine-tasting party at around 22:00 on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Trémolat, between Bergerac and Sarlat-la-Canéda.

Gendarmes said: “As we are acting in the context of a judicial investigation, we do not have the right to supply any elements on the investigation under way.”

The office of the public prosecutor in Périgueux added: “I can only confirm that the investigation is continuing actively, in the context of the judicial inquiry being carried out by the criminal unit in Périgueux.”

The mairie of Trémolat said the mayor, who attended the wine tasting, is not giving interviews.

Compared to the UK or US, where murder cases often involve regular police press briefings, a relative lack of information is not uncommon in France, where serious criminal investigations are typically led by an investigating judge.

A principle known as le secret de l’enquête et de l’instruction, set out in the Code de procédure pénale, requires that details are not made public. 

This is intended to prevent evidence being tampered with or witnesses being influenced, and to preserve the presumption of innocence while evidence is gathered and before charges are brought.

It also aims to avoid “prior judgment by public opinion” and undue pressure on investigators, according to guidance from the public prosecutor at the Cour de cassation. As a result, cases can appear to have gone quiet even while inquiries continue behind the scenes.

DNA samples

The Dordogne edition of Sud Ouest reported that locals — who described Ms Carter as having a “sunny” personality — remain largely in the dark, although some have been questioned and provided DNA samples. The murder weapon, believed to be a long-bladed knife, has not been found, and neighbours reported hearing nothing.

Ms Carter was discovered bleeding by a local man, a retired senior figure in the tech industry, with whom she was said to have recently begun a relationship. He had hosted the wine-tasting event and, after she left, drove to her home to see her again. He alerted emergency services, but they were unable to save her.

According to Sud Ouest, lines of inquiry have included this man, Ms Carter’s estranged husband — who lives in South Africa — and a woman reportedly passed over in favour of the victim by her new partner.

Ms Carter, who grew up in South Africa to British parents, had four children and had been married for 33 years. In recent years she had focused on running holiday lets in France, including in Trémolat, where she spent increasing amounts of time.

A friend said she had sent divorce papers to her husband just days before her death, although he reportedly did not wish to separate. He said he learned of her death — and of her new relationship — via Facebook.

The murder took place in the same month that Ms Carter returned from a trip to South Africa with a local over-50s women’s football team, Les Reines du Foot.