UPDATE | Man arrested in murder enquiry following death of Ann Widdecombe, Dartmoor
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said: “We can confirm that a 26-year-old man was arrested at an address in Newton Abbot this afternoon on suspicion of the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
“The suspect, who is a white British national, remains in police custody while enquiries continue.
“Officers were called to Miss Widdecombe’s home at Haytor by the ambulance service at around 11.40am on Thursday 9 July.
“Sadly, 78-year-old Miss Widdecombe was located deceased within the property. She had sustained serious injuries.
“Her next-of-kin have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.
“Detectives from the Force Major Crime Investigation Team have launched a murder investigation and are conducting extensive enquiries into the circumstances surrounding Miss Widdecombe’s death.
“A cordon remains in place at the property while specialist officers continue forensic examinations. There are road closures in place around the scene.
“The public will see a significant police presence in the area while detectives and officers conduct house-to-house and CCTV enquiries.
“This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of Miss Widdecombe at this difficult time.
“Our murder enquiry is in its early stages but moving at a significant pace. 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.
“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.”
Information, images or footage can be submitted to us via our Major Incident Public Portal [MIPP].
You can also contact us by phone on 101 or through our website, quoting reference 50260179119 and Operation Hunlen.
Please follow the link to the public portal or scan the QR code.
Witness Appeal
Did you see anything? If you have any information to share, please get in touch
Get in touch