The British woman stabbed to death outside her French home this week died from severe blood loss ‘as she tried to defend herself from a frenzied attack’, an autopsy has revealed.
Karen Carter, 65, was found on Tuesday evening, collapsed and unconscious, ‘covered in stab wounds’, on the ground next to her car in the rural village of Trémolat, where she and her husband owned holiday properties.
An autopsy carried out in nearby Bordeaux showed that death was caused ‘by haemorrage following a wound to the aorta’, and that she had suffered eight serious wounds in total, including to the chest, abdomen and forearm.
The source added: ‘All the wounds suggest the victim was attempting to defend herself from a frenzied attack.’
Autopsy results emerged as prosecutors announced they had detained a 69-year-old woman in connection with the attack.
She has not been identified but was part of Ms Carter’s ‘social circle’ and had been out wine tasting with her, investigators said.
There were no further details, and the prosecutor would not say if the woman was a murder suspect.
Mr and Ms Carter spent their time between their homes in France and South Africa
Karen Carter, a 65-year-old married mother of four, was found outside her property in Trémolat
Ms Carter’s husband, Alan Carter, told The Times that his wife had been at a wine-tasting event with friends on Tuesday evening. He said it was just a short drive from their property.
A close friend called to check she had returned safely and, unable to get through, went to their holiday home in Trémolat, arriving ten minutes after Ms Carter did to find her collapsed and unconscious, ‘covered in stab wounds’ by her car.
The friend, who Mr Carter denied was having an affair with his wife, tried to administer first aid at the scene before emergency services arrived, French media reported. Despite attempts to revive her, she died at the scene.
Prosecutors now say they have detained a woman ‘who comes from Trémolat and is part of the couple’s circle’ in connection with the case.
‘I don’t know the details, but I understand the attack was vicious and deliberate, and not like it was by an interrupted intruder,’ Mr Carter said, after prosecutors said they were investigating the possibility Ms Carter was killed during a robbery.
‘It is likely to have been someone Karen knew and had an issue with her. But she was a kind and friendly person and got on with people.’
Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor for Bergerac, said that the friend who discovered Ms Carter had been questioned and released without charge. ‘At this stage, no hypothesis is being favoured,’ she added.
Ms Carter is believed to have arrived at her home 10 minutes before a friend found her
Mr Carter was devastated to learn of his wife’s passing from a cousin
Mr Carter, who divides his time between South Africa and their property in Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, was devastated to learn of his wife’s death after a cousin read the news on a Facebook group.
He said he had last spoken to his wife on Tuesday, learning of the news only on Wednesday.
He told The Times that he was ‘disturbed’ to read that his wife had ‘started a relationship’ with a man some weeks before, as presented by the state prosecutor.
Mr Carter insisted that the male friend who checked Ms Carter had returned home and tried to administer first aid was ‘just a friend of hers’.
The gîte, or holiday home, in Trémolat was Ms Carter’s passion project, frequently used by guests from the UK.
Mr Carter said they had owned the property for about 15 years, and they both divided their time between South Africa and Trémolat.
The property is called Les Chouettes [The Owls] and it is described as ‘a lovely old renovated farmhouse and barn’, sleeping 14 in total.
They owned and let out two guest houses.
The body of Karen Carter, a 65-year-old married mother of four, was found outside a property she ran in the village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, on Tuesday evening
A friend found the 65-year-old woman lying near her vehicle with five deep wounds caused by a blunt object at her home in the village of Tremolat in the Dordogne on Tuesday evening
Mr Carter told the BBC that ‘particularly since Covid, my wife has spent more time there running the gîtes.
‘It’s been very busy, it’s been very successful.’
He said the village was in shock over her death, describing his wife as a friendly person who ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’.
‘She’s the one who would bring home the lost dog, or cat, or whatever. She’s that sort of person. Everyone liked her. That’s why I married her. She’s just lovely,’ he said.
Neighbours left in ‘total shock’ from the tragedy paid tribute to ‘a delightful, energetic person who got on with everybody’.
‘Nobody can understand how this could have happened in a peaceful place like this,’ one resident said.
‘We are all keeping our doors locked. It is deeply worrying.’
‘We saw emergency vehicles in the village, and then lots of police cars, and then the area around her house was cordoned off,’ one resident said, who asked to remain anonymous ‘for security reasons’.
Her Reines du Foot football team also paid tribute in a post on Facebook.
‘We are immensely saddened by the sudden passing of Karen, our friend and Queen of Football, who leaves a great void in our hearts.
‘All our thoughts go out to her loved ones.’
Ms Carter was a leading player in the Queens of Football (Reines du Foot) team, which in early April completed a tour of South Africa.
The victim was the owner and manager of two guest houses in Trémolat, and both were frequently used by guests from the UK
‘We are immensely saddened by the sudden passing of Karen, our friend and Queen of Football, who leaves a great void in our hearts. All our thoughts go out to her loved ones,’ reads a tribute from Les Reines du Foot, her football club
On the evening of her death, Ms Carter had been out at a local café-bar with a male friend, Ms Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor, revealed previously.
‘They had spent the evening together in Tremolat with friends and then returned to the victim’s home, whom, he said, had arrived only about ten minutes before him.’
She suffered the ‘frenzied attack’ after returning home, and was found by her friend, who tried to administer first aid at the scene, French media reported.
Medics responded to a call at 10.17pm and arrived to find Ms Carter ‘in cardio-respiratory arrest’.
Despite attempts to revive her, she died at the scene.
Ms Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor, said previously that a criminal enquiry had been opened, and that local gendarmes were investigating.
There was no mention of whether a murder weapon had been recovered, previously said not to have been found.
