Investigators are focusing on a 30-minute window on Wednesday afternoon as they piece together the final hours of former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe, who was murdered in her Devon home. Police suspect a 28-year-old man arrested in South Yorkshire in connection with the death, though he has since been released and the manhunt restarted.

Widdecombe, 78, a prominent spokesperson for Reform UK until her death, was found dead in her kitchen on Thursday morning by her gardener, having suffered what police described as "serious injuries." The discovery came more than 24 hours after her body was likely discovered.

Her final known communication was a WhatsApp message to a Channel 5 News researcher at 12:19 p.m. on Wednesday, confirming receipt of a Zoom link for an upcoming interview. The researcher attempted to contact Widdecombe for the interview at 12:48 p.m. and again at 1:05 p.m. and 1:14 p.m., but received no response. It is understood that Widdecombe did not open the message, as the double blue ticks did not appear.

Police believe the attack may have occurred around 12:30 p.m. They are considering the possibility that Widdecombe interrupted an intruder. Prior to this, at approximately 12:14 p.m., Widdecombe had been exchanging messages with the researcher, joking about her "old age" and a previous confusion about an interview time.

Concerns about Widdecombe's well-being grew when she failed to appear for her scheduled Channel 5 News interview. The program alerted her agent about her no-show later that evening. By Thursday morning, a friend, unable to reach her, raised further alarm, leading to the gardener's grim discovery.

Authorities have urged the public not to speculate on the motive, particularly regarding potential political links, and have stressed that there is currently no evidence to suggest this. The initial suspect, a 26-year-old, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday evening but was released without charge the following morning. A 28-year-old man was later arrested in South Yorkshire.

Locals in the Dartmoor village of Haytor reported seeing a suspicious dark VW Golf Mk4 parked in an unusual spot near Widdecombe's home on Wednesday morning. A garage manager noted a man in his late 20s or early 30s, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, working on walking boots near the lay-by, stating he "didn't look like he fitted in" and was heading in the direction of Widdecombe's house. Police requested CCTV footage of the vehicle but it reportedly did not have any.

Nigel Farage, a former leader of the Brexit Party, visited Widdecombe's property to pay his respects, a move that reportedly made her family "very uneasy." Farage stated that there were "no words" for the perpetrator of such an act against an "innocent 78-year-old lady."