A woman has been placed under formal investigation over the death last year in France of a British-South African mother of four.

Karen Carter, 65, was found lying near her car with stab wounds by a friend in Trémolat, the Dordogne village where she had lived for more than a decade and managed two holiday rental homes.

Prosecutors say the 70-year-old woman was originally detained in 2025 as part of a preliminary investigation before being released.

Jacques-Edouard Andrault, the investigating judge in the case, said in a statement on Wednesday that “the investigations carried out within the framework of the judicial investigation opened on May 7, 2025 led the investigating judge to formally charge her.”

At the time of the murder in April last year, Karen Carter’s husband, Alan, said he first learned of her death from a cousin who had read about it on a local community Facebook page.

He said he received confirmation of the death after his assistant called local police.

Describing his wife as an outgoing, friendly person who “wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he said her death has been “traumatic” for his family.

“I’m an introvert and she’s the exact opposite. She’s outgoing, 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 the cat, or whatever. She’s that kind of person. Everyone liked her. That’s why I married her. She’s just lovely.”