A 70-year-old woman has been placed under formal investigation in connection with the fatal stabbing of a British-South African mother of four in a picturesque village in southwestern France, prosecutors have confirmed.

Karen Carter, 65, was discovered with knife wounds beside her vehicle by a friend in Trémolat, a commune in the Dordogne department where she had resided for more than a decade and managed two holiday rental properties. The suspect was initially detained in 2025 as part of preliminary inquiries but later released, according to prosecutors.

Investigating judge Jacques-Edouard Andrault announced on Wednesday that “the investigations conducted as part of the judicial inquiry opened on 7 May, 2025, have led the investigating judge to formally charge her”. Under the French legal system, being placed under formal investigation means an investigating judge must now determine whether sufficient evidence exists for the case to proceed to trial.

At the time of the killing in April last year, Carter’s husband, Alan, revealed that he first learned of his wife’s death through a cousin who had spotted the news on a local community Facebook page. He said confirmation only came after his assistant telephoned local police.

Paying tribute to his late wife, he described her as an outgoing and friendly person who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, adding that her loss had been “traumatic” for the family. “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,” he said. “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.”