Bodies of Derek Hawkins, 98, and his 86-year-old wife Sheila were discovered at their farmhouse in Fabas, a village close to the Pyrenees
An elderly British couple have been found shot dead in a suspected double suicide at their "dream retirement home" in southern France.
The bodies of Derek Hawkins, 98, and wife Sheila, 86, were discovered by a cleaner at their farmhouse in the village of Fabas, in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Police believe Derek blasted his wife Sheila, 86, with a .22 calibre rifle in a suicide pact before turning the weapon on himself - and they are not looking for anyone else in connection with their deaths.
He had told his therapist days before their deaths on Monday morning that he was "morally tired" and "if I go, it won’t be alone", officials said.
The couple moved to the picturesque village in the 1980s. A neighbour said they had often spoken of the move abroad as their "dream retirement".
The neighbour added: “They were a lovely couple who raised Dachshunds, and they got on extremely well with everybody.
“But as they got older, life got harder for them.”
Geraldine Labialle, a prosecutor from the town of Foix, said: “Suicide is the most likely cause of death. There was no sign of a struggle.
“Mr Hawkins is thought to have told his therapist he was tired of everything, and if he went it would not be alone.
“Nobody else is being hunted in connection with the their deaths.”
Simon Bavard, the mayor of Fabas, added: “They moved here around thirty years ago, and were very well integrated.
“Despite their age, they continued to live on their old farmhouse just on the outskirts of the village.”
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