A murder investigation has been launched into the death of Ann Widdecombe, with her final known text message sent just 11 minutes before she was attacked at her Dartmoor home. The 78-year-old former Conservative minister and Reform UK figure was found dead the following day, and police are pursuing several lines of inquiry.
Final Messages Emerge
Poignant text messages between Widdecombe and a television producer have emerged, revealing the former minister failing to respond to several phone calls. The exchange took place shortly after Widdecombe emailed Express.co.uk to arrange an interview slot, capturing the final routine moments of her life.
Shortly after appearing on TalkTV earlier that day, Widdecombe was arranging a 1pm Zoom interview for Channel 5's Matt Allwright show. In the messages, shared via X by GB News, the researcher apologised for confusion over a previously declined appearance slot, making a light-hearted comment about "old age" being a terrible thing.
Widdecombe replied warmly and helpfully, confirming the usual email address for materials and acknowledging receipt with "Received! Panic over! !" at 12:19pm – her final known message. Moments later, at 12:48pm, the producer messaged once more, encouraging her to join the Zoom link. No response arrived, according to the Express.
Several follow-up voice calls remained unanswered between 12:53pm and 13:14pm. Police believe Widdecombe was attacked around 12:30pm, meaning she had just 11 minutes of life remaining after her last text.
Earlier Email Exchange
Express.co.uk had emailed Widdecombe earlier in the day to schedule a phone interview and received the reply: "Ok but tied up all this morning." She was subsequently asked whether she was available to speak between 3.30pm and 4pm, responding at 12.09pm to confirm: "Yes that is ok."
Police Investigation
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, Devon Police ACC Matt Longman said: "I want to start with expressing my thanks to the local community and to the people who have come forward so far with their information. We have been working at pace on this investigation. Officers are making progress and are pursuing a number of lines of inquiry."
He added: "At this time, we have made the active decision not to release further information, including descriptions of any potential suspects or releasing CCTV footage. Releasing such information prematurely could compromise ongoing inquiries and may prejudice future investigative opportunities."
Longman stated that the decision to withhold further details was made on an "operational basis", adding that the force would make information available to the public when deemed "appropriate and necessary".
