BRIT mum Karen Carter was brutally murdered outside her home in a French village by someone holding a grudge, her husband fears.

A 65-year-old mother passed away due to severe blood loss after being stabbed several times. A 69-year-old woman, who was reportedly an old friend, is currently in custody regarding the suspected murder.

She has not been identified but was part of Ms Carter’s ‘social circle’ and had been out wine tasting with her, according to investigators.

An autopsy revealed Karen was killed “as she tried to defend herself from a frenzied attack”.

Ms Carter, a mother of four, “collapsed and died of her injuries” next to to her car in Trémolat, in the Dordogne region, on Tuesday evening.

She was outside her home in the village, which has a population of around 600, following the night out with friends, including an alleged lover.

All had been at a popular café-bar in Trémolat, around 10 minutes drive from Ms Carter’s home.

An autopsy carried out in Bordeaux within 24 hours of the stabbing showed that death was caused “by haemorrage following a wound to the aorta.”

Investigators reported that there were eight significant wounds on the victim, found in areas such as the “chest, abdomen, and forearm,” along with less severe injuries on the “thigh, shoulder, and thumbs.”

The source added: “All the wounds suggest the victim was attempting to defend herself from a frenzied attack.”

According to authorities, Ms. Carter was married to Alan Carter, also 65. It was noted that the couple was reportedly estranged, and at the time of the incident, Mr. Carter was in South Africa.

She had started a relationship with an unidentified man who lived in the Trémolat area and who found her dying on Tuesday, before calling the police.

He was briefly detained by detectives for questioning, but was released within a few hours.

Speaking about Karen, Emma Rathbone, 45, said: “She was absolutely lovely. She was at the centre of the village. Everybody knew her.

“If you were new to the village she would be the first who would make you feel welcome.

“You can see how beautiful the village is. It’s like heaven. You don’t expect something like that to happen to somebody so lovely.”

Charity worker Adrian Carter, who has had a house in the village for a decade, said: “She was really, really lovely. She was bubbly and a friendly to everyone – both French and English and any other nationalities who were here.

“I was shocked, really really shocked. Genuinely, you would say it’s safe.

“Knowing that someone has now been arrested make me feel a little bit safer.

“It’s such a sleepy place. It’s not like a Midsomer Murders sort of place.”

Meanwhile, the new suspect – who also remains unnamed – was arrested on Thursday.

A murder investigation has been launched, led by officers in Bergerac and Agen.

Sylvie Martins-Guedes, the Bergerac prosecutor who is leading the murder enquiry, said: “A woman aged 69 years old, who comes from Trémolat and who is part of the couple’s circle, has been detained.”

There were no further details, and the prosecutor would not say if the woman was a murder suspect.

Previously, prosecutors said possible motives being probed included robbery. 

Forensics officers returned to the scene on Friday morning, arriving in a police van and an unmarked SUV.

A bloodstain marks the place on the gravel driveway where she is believed to have been stabbed.

The cottage remains cordoned off, with a police notice taped to the front door of the property where she is understood to have lived.

One ex-pat, 61, who said he’d worked for her, said: “We haven’t been able to sleep properly since. You keep thinking about it.

“She was gentle, she was kind. I worked for her for 13 years and I’ve never seen her lose her temper.

“She was just a lovely person, very friendly, very helpful. Just a genuinely nice person. 

“When I saw on Wednesday morning what had happened I just couldn’t believe it.

“Someone in the village who knows I worked for her told me. I thought maybe he’d made a mistake.” 

Richard John, 63, originally from Lincolnshire but who has lived in the area for six years, said: “It’s very, very sad. It’s not what you expect in a village like this. 

“It’s very rural, it’s very peaceful, but it’s hugely popular in the summer months.” 

Husband pays tribute

Alan Carter, who remains at the couple’s home in East London, South Africa, has expressed shock and surprise at revelations that his wife had “started a relationship” with another man.

Karen and Alan had owned their holiday home in Trémolat for 15 years, splitting time between France and South Africa, where Alan still works.

Speaking from their home in East London, South Africa, Mr Carter said he learned of his wife’s death via a Facebook post read by a cousin who also lives in Trémolat.

“She phoned me… to say she’s sorry to tell me and that she thinks Karen has died. That was the first I heard about it,” he said.

“No one had got in touch with me at all to let me know what had happened. I found out through my cousin who happened to see it on a Facebook page.”

The former London Stock Exchange worker, 65, described her as “such a decent, lovely person”, and told of the family’s shock.

He said his wife of 30 years was an outgoing, friendly person who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, and said her death has been “traumatic” for his family.

Mr Carter told the BBC: “I’m an introvert, and she’s the exact opposite. She’s an extrovert, she loves people, she loves to have fun. People love her, she has a good heart.

“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.”

Martins-Guedes said Karen had “started a relationship” with a man in the weeks before her death — a claim Mr Carter strongly denied.

“There was no relationship. He was just a friend of hers,” he said.

He told The Times: “What I understand is that Karen went to a wine-tasting event on Tuesday night and was supposed to phone him to let him know that she had got back safely.

“It was a ten-minute drive. I don’t know if Karen phoned, but when he couldn’t get through to her he drove to see if anything was wrong and found her unconscious next to her car. 

“I don’t know the details but I understand the attack was vicious and deliberate and not like it was by an interrupted intruder. 

“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.

“I am just speculating but the person who did it could have been someone she knew and perhaps I knew too.”

He last spoke to his wife on Tuesday and had to break the news to their four children, the oldest of whom is Nicholas, a chartered accountant in London.

Mr Carter said: “We are planning to go to France and have a funeral; the children will come, have a cremation and bring her ashes to South Africa and scatter some in Trémolat.

“They are struggling, as they would. They are shocked.”

Karen had lived in Trémolat for more than a decade, where she ran two holiday rental homes. 

Her husband told the BBC: “Particularly since Covid, my wife has spent more time there running the gîtes (holiday homes). It’s been very busy, it’s been very successful.

“She was very good at her job and marketing it and getting bookings throughout the year.”

Mrs Carter’s sister-in-law, Alison, from South Africa, wrote in a tribute on Facebook: “I have been Blessed with two very special sister-in-laws on my Carter side of the family…..and now I only one.

“Karen Beaumont Carter you have been the most loving, generous, supportive & kindest person I know.  I am just so grateful that we were able to enjoy a really special family braai 10 days ago and our  threesome ladies lunch…. you, Debbie & I, during your last visit to EL. 

“To my dear brother Alan and the children and the ENTIRE Beaumont family – her life and memories shared will be cherished forever.

“The Tremolat village in France is also going to miss your presence Karen.  This has been a very special place for you all over the past 12 years. Your HAPPY PLACE – where you have put so much time, effort, passion into creating the most amazing place for travellers, friends and family to visit and enjoy.  XXX”

A local football team for whom Mrs Carter played will tonight pay tribute to her at a game in the Basque Country.

The Queens of Football (Reines du Foot) side – nicknamed the “Football Grannies” – will observe a minute’s silence before the game. Players will also wear black armbands, local media reported. 

Mrs Carter was one of 18 players who flew to South Africa last month to take part in the “Grandma’s World Cup” tournament.

Paying tribute, the club wrote on Facebook earlier this week: “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.”

The Dordogne is an area of France that is hugely popular with British tourists, second home owners and expat pensioners.