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Murder inquiry launched after Briton, 85, found dead at his home in Gers in south-west France
The man was attacked during the night of Friday to Saturday. His car is reported stolen
An 85-year-old British man has been found dead at his isolated home in Gers after suffering severe blows to the face.
He was found at his home in Verlus, a small commune in western Gers, during the night of Friday to Saturday, September 26.
The house is in the Côte de Peyron area, relatively isolated from other homes and close to the Landes department.
The authorities were alerted at about 04:00 on Saturday and the deputy public prosecutor from Auch went to the scene, according to reports in La Dépêche du Midi.
Initial findings by a forensic doctor indicated that the victim had suffered “very violent blows” to the face.
The deputy prosecutor told La Dépêche that these injuries were “probably” the cause of death, but said the autopsy would confirm this.
‘Several suspects actively sought’
The victim’s car was also missing from the property.
The motive remains unclear. “We do not know whether they came to steal or whether there was another motive, all of this is under investigation,” the deputy prosecutor told La Dépêche.
She added that several suspects were being actively sought.
The Auch prosecutor’s office has referred the case to the Toulouse investigation section of the gendarmerie.
Several gendarmerie units in Gers and other departments are also involved in trying to identify those responsible.
Crime-scene identification officers attended the property to collect evidence.
The prosecutor’s office said that “everything is being done” to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators as quickly as possible.
Victim lived alone
The victim reportedly lived alone at the property. His wife is in hospital and has not been living at the house for some time.
Mayor Jean Menvielle described the victim as “very discreet” and said he was rarely seen around the commune.
He said the couple were “people without any problems” who largely kept to themselves.
Mr Menvielle also told La Dépêche that the missing car was a basic model aged between five and 10 years and was not particularly valuable.
He said he believed there was likely to be a connection between the man’s death and the disappearance of his car, but this has yet to be established by investigators.
The Auch public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation for voluntary homicide.
An autopsy is expected to provide further information about the exact cause of death and other elements of the incident.
