The husband of a British-South African woman found dead at her house in France has said he cannot imagine “the terror and the fear she must have gone through”.

Karen Carter, 65, was found by her friend lying near her car with stab wounds in the village of Trémolat in the Dordogne on Tuesday evening, the state prosecutor said.

Mrs Carter’s husband, Alan, who is in South Africa, said she was “such a decent, lovely person”, and spoke of the family’s shock.

A 69-year-old local woman has been arrested as part of an investigation into the mother-of-four’s death.

A friend who discovered Mrs Carter’s body was questioned by police and later released without charge, the state prosecutor, Sylvie Martins-Guedes, said.

“At this stage, no hypothesis is being favored,” she added.

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

“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,” Mr Carter said.

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

Mr Carter said his cousin, who lives in Trémolat, called him after seeing a post about Mrs Carter’s death on a local community Facebook page.

“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.”

He said he got confirmation of Mrs Carter’s death after his assistant phoned local police.

“She managed to get through to the right person. I don’t know how she managed that, but she did.

“He confirmed it, but he didn’t give any details of what happened,” he said, adding that he has relied on news reports for information.

Mr Carter said the village is in shock over her death, adding: “It’s terrible. Such a small village where nothing like this ever happens.”

He described Mrs Carter as an outgoing, friendly person who “wouldn’t hurt a fly”, and said her death has been “traumatic” for his 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.”