Police believe former MP Ann Widdecombe was attacked in her home nearly 24 hours before her body was discovered.
"We believe the attack took place on Wednesday 8 July at around 12.30pm," a statement reads from Devon and Cornwall Police read.
"Our enquiries are moving at pace for a suspect who is believed to be a white male."
A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering former MP Ann Widdecombe on Friday was released from custody on Saturday and is no longer part of the investigation, police said.
The 78-year-old former Tory minister was found dead at her home in Dartmoor, Devon on Thursday morning after sustaining serious injuries.
Devon and Cornwall Police previously said the case of her death is “not being treated as terrorism” and there is “no information” at this time to suggest it was a “politically-motivated crime”.
Here is everything we know about Ann Widdecombe’s death so far.
Who was Ann Widdecombe?
Ann Widdecombe was born in Bath, Somerset, in 1947.
She had a long political career serving as Conservative MP for Maidstone, later Maidstone and The Weald, in Kent for 23 years.
She was also Minister of State for Employment from 1994 to 1995 and Minister of State for Prisons from between 1995 and 1997 under John Major.
Following her time in government, she found fame outside politics after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
Miss Widdecombe, a supporter of the UK's departure from the EU, later became a Brexit Party MEP, representing South West England in the European Parliament between 2019 and 2020.
She subsequently became a Reform UK spokeswoman, joining the party in 2023, and making a number of appearances as the party's immigration and justice spokesperson.
What happened to her and when?
Devon and Cornwall Police were called to Miss Widdecombe’s home in Haytor Vale, a village within the Dartmoor National Park, at around 11.40am on Thursday, where they found her dead with serious injuries.
Her death was announced on Friday morning.
In a statement, her management team said: "We know this news will come as a great shock to the many colleagues and friends she made along the way."
On Friday afternoon, police issued a statement saying they had launched a murder investigation in connection to Miss Widdecombe’s death.
Her management team then released a further statement, saying they were "absolutely devastated" by news of the investigation after a “very traumatic and upsetting 24 hours".
What do we know about the suspect?
A 26-year-old white British man was arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder in connection with Miss Widdecombe’s death.
In an update on Saturday, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the man had been released from custody and was no longer under investigation.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said: “Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.
“Detectives continue to carry out numerous inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
He said the investigation was “moving at a significant pace”, adding: “We are deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened.
“I would appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident, however insignificant it may seem, to come forward and speak with us.
“We will release further information when we are able to do so. In the meantime, I would ask people not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly on social media.
“This is not only potentially harmful to our investigation but also deeply distressing for family and friends of Miss Widdecombe. The family have also asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what has happened.
“We have set up a major incident public portal for information, images or footage to be submitted to us. This can be found on our website.
“Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers.”
Mr Longman previously said: “This is an extremely tragic incident. Our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Miss Widdecombe in this very difficult time.”
Earlier on Friday, Detective Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson said: "This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this difficult time.
"I would appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident, however insignificant it may seem, to come forward and speak with us."
What has been the reaction to her death?
A number of politicians and prominent figures have made statements following the announcement of Miss Widdecombe’s death.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was "shocking news" and that his thoughts were with Widdecombe's family "at this awful time".
Sir Keir said: He said: “This is really shocking news, and my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe at this awful time for them.
“Ann was a distinguished politician over many, many years with many achievements, and it’s a huge, huge loss.
He added that he had spoken to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, as well as Andy Burnham, to “urge everybody to come together".
Ms Badenoch said: “I’ve been stunned to hear this awful news.
“Ann Widdecombe was a very fun and feisty woman who spoke her mind and she was 78 years old, she was an elderly woman.
“I don’t understand how someone could do something so horrific to an elderly person. It was a nasty, horrific attack and my heart is breaking for her family.”
A spokeswoman for Andy Burnham said: “Andy’s deepest condolences and thoughts are with Ann’s family today, in incredibly distressing circumstances.
“Ann gave a lifetime of public service, and it’s absolutely right that the police put all their resources into investigating this as swiftly as possible.”
Anton Du Beke, who was Miss Widdecombe’s dance partner when she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, said he was “devastated” to hear the news.
In a video shared on X, he said: “I had the most brilliant time with Ann on Strictly Come Dancing.
“She became a real friend. She was fun. She was upbeat. She was positive. She was supportive. We had an incredible time together and we stayed firm friends.
“My thoughts go out to all of her nearest and dearest and all her family. This is a sad day and I’m devastated by the news of Ann’s passing but I shall remember her fondly, and miss her.”
Alison and Simon Gilbert, who have lived in in Haytor Vale for more than a decade, said Ann Widdecombe was a well-known figure locally.
Mrs Gilbert said: “She was a nice woman, really nice woman, and she had a great sense of humour.
“It’s a lovely area – you talk to strangers.
“Everyone saw her as quite an opinionated politician, but to us she was just a person in the community.
“First of all, we got back and saw police and thought maybe it was a burglary, a lot of us suspected she had a heart attack or something.”
“She didn’t deserve to die like that,” Mr Gilbert added.
One woman living in Haytor Vale, who did not wish to be named, said: “I never met (Ann Widdecombe) although I’ve lived here all my life.
“It’s tragic, someone gives all their life to public service and then they end like that.
“(Haytor) is a safe area. Every couple of years or so, somebody goes around the garden sheds and nicks all the expensive gardening equipment. That’s as far as it goes really.
“We’ve never had anything close (to this) in all my years.”
