Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the prosecutor in Bergerac leading the investigation, said the wounds were made with a sharp object and that the ferocity of the attack revealed a “singular violence”.
She said the placement of the wounds “showed the desire to kill”.
Residents of the small 600-strong commune say the killing was a crime of passion or “crime passionnel”.
Martins-Guedes said her investigation was focusing on those who may have known Carter, but that the motivation for the attack remained open.
“At this stage, no hypothesis is being favoured,” she said.
Carter was found dying by a male friend only 10 minutes after the pair had enjoyed a night out at a wine-tasting event.
He attempted first aid and called the emergency services, but her heart stopped when they arrived and they were unable to revive her
The friend, who met Carter in the village’s watering hole, was questioned by police and later released without charge, Martins-Guedes said.
Carter and her husband, Alan, have owned their property in the village for roughly 15 years and divide their time between Trémolat and East London, South Africa.
They also own and run two holiday rentals in the village, which is reeling from the news of her murder.
Carter, who was in South Africa at the time, said he learnt of his wife’s murder on Wednesday in a phone call from a cousin, who also owns a home in Trémolat, and read about it on a Facebook post.
“It’s terrible. Such a small village where nothing like this ever happens,” Alan Cater told the BBC.
He described his wife as a friendly person “who wouldn’t hurt a fly”, and said her murder had been very “traumatic” for the family.
“Everyone liked her,” he said.
He speculated that his wife’s killer was likely someone known to the couple.
“It is likely to have been someone Karen knew and had an issue with her,” he told the Times.
He last spoke to his wife on Tuesday morning and had to break the news to the couple’s four children. The family will be travelling to Trémolat next week, where they are planning a small funeral before taking her ashes back to South Africa.
Carter had been a member of Les Reines du Foot (The Queens of Football), the local football team for women aged over 50.
Demain, nous jouerons pour toi 🩷
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Posted by Les Reines du Foot on Friday 2 May 2025
“Everyone is shocked. Karen was very helpful. She was the embodiment of kindness,” a member told Sud Ouest newspaper.
A statement on the team’s Facebook page said: “We are immensely saddened by the sudden death of Karen, our friend and Football Queen, who leaves a great emptiness in our hearts. Our thoughts are with her family.”
