THE pal that discovered murdered Brit Karen Carter in rural France has been named.
Jean-Francois Guerrier is understood to have discovered the 65-year-old’s body outside her home in Trémolat, east of Bordeaux.
He had only left her for “10 minutes” before she was killed in the savage attack, according to Begerac prosecutor Sylvie Martin-Guedes.
Guerrier was president of the community association that ran the village bar where they both worked.
Mum-of-four Karen was stabbed to death on Tuesday night.
A 69-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with her murder.
Prosecutors previously said they arrested the man who found her body.
They added: “He had discovered her collapsed and unconscious near his vehicle.”
The man was briefly detained by detectives for questioning, but was released within a few hours.
She is understood to have attended a wine tasting at the Café Village earlier in the evening.
The woman’s husband, Alan, 65, who is still in South Africa, said: “What I understand is that Karen went to a wine-tasting event on Tuesday night.
He explained that his wife “was supposed to phone him [her friend] to let him know that she had got back safely”.
He said: “It was a ten-minute drive.
“I’m unsure if Karen called, but when he was unable to reach her by phone, he decided to visit her to check if everything was alright. Upon his arrival, he discovered her unconscious beside her vehicle.”
Her husband also fears that she was killed by someone holding a grudge.
He added: “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.”
It comes after a manhunt was launched for the tragic Brit’s killer.
An autopsy revealed Karen was killed “as she tried to defend herself from a frenzied attack”.
Carter “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.
A local football team for that Carter played for will tonight pay tribute to her at a game in the Basque Country.
Prior to the match, the Queens of Football (Reines du Foot) team, affectionately known as the “Football Grannies,” will pay their respects with a minute of silence. Additionally, the players will don black armbands, as per local news outlets.
Mrs Carter was one of 18 players who flew to South Africa last month to take part in the “Grandma’s World Cup” tournament.
