Detectives Interview Women's Football Team in Karen Carter Murder Case
Detectives investigating the brutal murder of British mother-of-four Karen Carter have interviewed members of a women's football team who toured South Africa with her just days before she was savagely stabbed to death in France. The 65-year-old was murdered in the Dordogne village of Trémolat, east of Bordeaux, in April last year, and the investigation is now increasingly focused on suspects she may have encountered during her international travels.
Focus Shifts to South Africa Connections
Karen Carter had joined a tour by her over-50s French football team, The Queens of Football (Les Reines du Foot), to South Africa in late March and early April. An investigating source revealed that she may have met 'people who wanted to harm her' during this period. Women who participated in the football tour have now been formally questioned by detectives as part of the ongoing murder investigation.
The source explained: 'The aim is to work out whom Karen Carter met in South Africa when she was not playing football, and if these people might be connected to her killing.' The football team began their tour on March 30th and was eliminated from an international competition on April 4th. Following the tournament, Ms Carter spent time with family members, including her husband, in East London, their home city on South Africa's Indian Ocean coast.
Complex Personal Circumstances
At the time of her death, Karen Carter was living alone in a renovated farmhouse in Trémolat while preparing to divorce her husband, Alan Carter, also 65, who was based approximately 10,000 miles away in South Africa. Despite the geographical separation, the couple owned multiple properties together, including a portfolio in southwest France where Ms Carter managed a rental business valued at least £1 million.
A former friend of Ms Carter told France's Sud Ouest newspaper: 'For her, it had been over with her husband for a long time. But he didn't want to hear it. Karen had sent the divorce papers just before her death. She told me on Monday. On Tuesday, she was killed.' In a recent interview, Mr Carter expressed surprise about his wife's relationship with French retiree Jean-François Guerrier and insisted the divorce was 'not a fait accompli.'
Investigation Challenges and Theories
French detectives have encountered significant obstacles in their investigation, particularly regarding access to financial documents in South Africa. The source revealed investigators have expressed 'extreme frustration' at their inability to obtain key records, including Ms Carter's bank account information from South Africa.
DNA tests have failed to establish links with any local suspects in France, leading a senior investigator to state: 'This appears to point to an outsider visiting the village and carrying out this brutal crime.' The theory of a professional hit has gained traction following the sighting of a suspicious man near Ms Carter's Trémolat home just three days before her murder. This individual has never been identified or traced by authorities.
Ms Carter's French lover, retired business executive Jean-François Guerrier, 75, was among supporters who joined the South Africa tour as a spectator. He was initially arrested after discovering Ms Carter's body but has since been released without charge. Neighbors in Trémolat have also been arrested and released without charge during the ten-month investigation.
Ongoing Investigation and Family Impact
The murder occurred on April 29th when Ms Carter's body was discovered with eight major wounds to her chest, groin, arm, and leg. A source working with Périgueux prosecutors, who are leading the investigation, confirmed: 'The enquiry is ongoing, and all leads are being explored.'
Mr Carter has publicly expressed frustration at the investigation's pace, stating: 'It's such a small village. Surely there must be prime suspects.' He acknowledged awareness of the contract killer theory but suggested it was fueled by gossip about their three-decade marriage.
The couple had four adult children together—two daughters and two sons—who currently reside in the United Kingdom, America, Australia, and South Africa. The tragic case has gained additional attention following the recent release of a documentary titled 'The Queens of Football' by France TV, which focuses on the South Africa tour within the context of women's empowerment.
