Ann Widdecombe may have been killed 24 hours before her body was found | Ann Widdecombe

Police believe Ann Widdecombe may have been dead in her home approximately 24 hours before her body was found.

In an update on Saturday afternoon, officers said they were working on the assumption that the 78-year-old former politician was attacked around 12.30pm on Wednesday.

The ambulance service found Widdecombe’s body at his bungalow in Haytor, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday.

A 26-year-old man arrested in Newton Abbott on Friday in connection with the investigation was released without charge early Saturday and is no longer part of the investigation.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said Widdecombe’s death was being treated as suspicious but police did not believe there was a greater risk to the public.

“Our investigations into a suspect believed to be a white male are progressing rapidly,” he said.

“I would appeal to anyone with information about this incident, no matter how trivial it may seem, to come forward and speak to us.

“Our priority is to identify those responsible and ensure that all available evidence is thoroughly examined.

“Detectives continue to conduct multiple inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we are committed to determining the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”

The force said on Friday that Widdecombe’s death was not being treated as terrorism and that there was no information to suggest it was a politically motivated crime.

“I would ask people, especially on social media, not to speculate about what might happen,” Longman said. “Not only is this potentially detrimental to our investigation, it is also extremely distressing for Ms Widdecombe’s family and friends.

“The family asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what happened.

“We have set up a public portal for information, images or images to be sent to us regarding a major incident. These can be found on our website. Information can also be forwarded anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers.”

The Guardian understands that police have established a timeline of Widdecombe’s final movements with the help of information from television producers.

The former Conservative minister, who later became a member of Reform UK, made his final television appearance on TalkTV shortly after 8am on Wednesday.

He praised Nigel Farage’s decision to trigger a by-election in the Clacton constituency as “the kind of decision-making needed in the leader of the country”.

ITV News reported that Widdecombe spoke to an investigator from Channel 5’s Matt Allwright program ahead of the interview, which is scheduled for 1pm.

It was stated that Widdecombe’s last message to the staff was sent at 12.19 pm. The investigator contacted Widdecombe at 12.48pm to ask him to join the show’s Zoom link but received no response.

Channel 5 executives are understood to have contacted Widdecombe’s representative after follow-up messages and calls went unanswered. It became clear that the producers were worried because it was unusual for Widdecombe, a regular panellist, not to respond.

Tributes continued to be paid to Widdecombe on Saturday. Christine Maloney said she was shocked by her neighbor’s death.

“This shouldn’t have happened, it’s terrible,” he said. “Everyone knows this is his house, maybe that’s the problem?”

Local resident Alison Gilbert said: “She was a lovely lady, a really lovely lady and had a great sense of humour. “It’s such a lovely area, you get to talk to strangers.

“Everyone saw him as a pretty opinionated politician, but to us he was just a person in the community.”

Gyles Brandreth, Widdecombe’s Oxford contemporary and former MP, said: “We met when we were both 19 and remained friends because he was fun and kind even when you strongly disagreed with him.”

Widdecombe, an outspoken Catholic who opposed abortion and same-sex marriage, retired from the House of Commons in 2010 after 23 years as MP for Maidstone.

She later appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, where she reached the semi-finals, gaining widespread popularity with the public.

He defected to Farage’s Brexit party in 2019 and became an MP for south-west England before the UK left the EU in 2020. He later joined its successor Reform party and became its spokesperson on immigration and justice.