A BRIT mum-of-four who was found dead outside her property in France has been identified as 65-year-old Karen Carter.
A manhunt has now been launched for her killer following the “frenzied attack” in the sleepy village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux.
Brit mum Karen Carter was murdered in France
She was found outside a property she owned in Trémolat
Tributes from locals poured in for the mum
She is believed to have suffered the “savage attack” on Tuesday evening following a night out with a male friend at a local bar.
Bergerac prosecutor Sylvie Martins-Guedes, confirmed that Carter was the “British national” killed, and that a murder enquiry had been opened.
She said: “On Tuesday, April 28th, at 10.17pm, emergency workers were called to a home in the town of Trémolat for a 65-year-old woman in cardiorespiratory arrest.”
The prosecutor added that Carter was “discovered by a friend with whom she had been in a relationship for several weeks” and that she was found with “bleeding wounds”.
A source close to the matter said that she suffered “five deep injuries” which pointed to “ferocious violence and a desire to kill“.
The British-South African parent was found outside and near her car, according to the source.
She tragically died at the scene despite attempts to save her – after medics arrived and found her in “cardio-respiratory arrest”.
Martins-Guedes added that local cops were investigating a suspected murder.
She said: “A search has been launched to identify and arrest the perpetrator.”
Possible motives include robbery, she added.
Local media described Carter as a “British national” who was an “active participant in Trémolat life”.
She had reportedly spent the evening in Trémolat with a friend with whom she had been in a relationship for several weeks.
It was also said that the same man tried to administer first aid at the scene of the killing.
Karen was married to Alan Carter, also 65, who at one point worked for the London Stock Exchange.
She owned and managed two guest houses in Trémolat.
On her website she wrote about her properties: “We would love to welcome you to visit our beautiful cottage in the Dordogne Valley, France.”
One of her properties is called Les Chouettes (The Owls) and it is described as “a lovely old renovated farmhouse and barn” which sleeps 14 in total.
Heartfelt tributes for the mum poured in from players of her over-50s football team, Reines du Foot.
One team member said: “Everyone is in shock. Karen was super helpful, she was kindness personified.”
Her team recently completed a tour in early April – and she one of 18 football players who left for South Africa to participate in the Grandma’s World Cup.
She played in a number 12 jersey and was a keen midfielder.
Her club said that they were “immensely saddened by the sudden passing of Karen”.
They dubbed her a “Queen of football” who left a “great void in our hearts“.
The club said in this post that they were ‘immensely saddened by the sudden passing of Karen’
Carter was found near her property in the Dordogne on Tuesday evening
Talented Carter at one point in her life ran a lifestyle blog for women over 50 called La Vie est Belle (Life is Beautiful).
The tragic Brit was also involved in running the community café in Trémolat.
A Trémolat resident said: “Everyone is in total shock – Ms Carter 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.”
They said that “nobody can understand how this could have happened in a peaceful place like this” and that many residents were “keeping our doors locked”, according to Francebleu.
The woman’s friend is reportedly not in custody, and the Bergerac prosecutor explained that “all avenues are being explored”.
The Dordogne is a popular holiday hotspot in France for second home owners and expat pensioners.
The Sun reached out to the Foreign Office for comment.
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