Suspect Held After Former MP Ann Widdecombe Found Dead

Overview

• Police discovered Widdecombe, 78, dead at her Haytor home on Thursday, July 9, and said she had suffered serious injuries.
• Investigators say the attack likely took place the previous day at about 11:30 a.m. and are reconstructing the timeline using forensic evidence.
• A white British man was arrested in Rotherham and remains in custody on suspicion of homicide while an earlier 26-year-old detainee was released and is no longer part of the inquiry.
• Devon and Cornwall Police consulted the national counterterrorism unit during early inquiries but say there is no evidence of a political or terrorist motive and the case is not being treated as terrorism.
• Widdecombe was a long-serving Conservative MP and later a Reform UK spokeswoman, and officials have appealed for the public to avoid online speculation as the probe continues and the family grieves.