A British mum-of-four stabbed to death in France has been pictured and named for the first time since the ‘frenzied attack’.
Karen Carter was found outside a home she owned and rented out in the village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday evening.
The 65-year-old was lying near her car with five stab wounds, pointing to ‘ferocious violence and a desire to kill’.
An investigating source said the assault happened following a night out at a local café-bar with a male friend.
‘A man called the emergency services after finding her covered in stab wounds,’ said the source.
‘Five deep injuries pointed to ferocious violence and a desire to kill. The victim was found near her car.’
Heartbreaking tributes to mum-of-four
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.’
Possible motives include robbery
Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the Bergerac prosecutor, confirmed that a criminal enquiry had been opened, and that local police are investigating a suspected murder.
The prosecutor said that ‘a search has been launched to identify and arrest the perpetrator,’ and that possible motives included robbery.
In a statement released today, she said that Karen had been discovered by a friend with whom she had been in a relationship for several weeks.
‘They had spent the evening together in Trémolat with friends and then returned to the victim’s home, whom she said had arrived only about ten minutes before her,’ she said.
‘He discovered her collapsed and unconscious near her car with bleeding wounds, and he immediately called emergency services, administering first aid himself.
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.’
It reported that Karen ‘had spent the evening in Trémolat with a friend with whom she had been in a relationship for several weeks, according to the Bergerac prosecutor.’
It was also reported that the man tried to administer first aid at the scene of the killing.
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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