A 65-year-old British woman has died after being stabbed in a frenzied attack outside a property she owned in a village east of Bordeaux.
Members of the Tremolat community are in shock after Karen Carter, who ran guest houses in the Dordogne region, was found on Tuesday with several stab wounds after a night out with a male friend, who then called the police.
“He discovered her collapsed and unconscious near her vehicle with bleeding wounds, and he immediately called emergency services, administering first aid himself,” Bergerac prosecutor Sylvie Martins-Guedes said.
“The injuries were particularly violent, and their location demonstrated an intent to kill.”
An investigating source described Ms Carter as the victim of a “frenzied attack”.
She said a manhunt was now underway to identify and arrest the attacker. “At this stage, no hypothesis is being favoured,” she said.
Local media described Ms Carter as an active participant in the Tremolat community. She was the owner and manager of two guest houses in Tremolat, and both were frequently used by guests from the UK.
Ms Carter at one stage ran a lifestyle blog for women over 50 called La Vie est Belle (Life is Beautiful). She was also a leading player in the Queens of Football (Reines du Foot) team, which in early April completed a tour of South Africa.
A team member said everyone was in shock over her death. “Karen was super helpful, she was kindness personified,” the teammate said.
Ms Carter was also involved in the running of the community cafe in Tremolat. It cancelled a party scheduled for Wednesday, April 30th, following Ms Carter’s death.
A Tremolat 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,’ said the resident, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
“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.”
The Dordogne is an area of France that is hugely popular with British tourists, second home owners and expat pensioners.
