A 26–year–old man arrested on suspicion of murdering former MP and MEP Ann Widdecombe has been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, police said.The ex–Tory prisons minister was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries.Miss Widdecombe, who was 78, later became a Brexit Party MEP and subsequently as Reform UK's Immigration and Justice spokesperson.On Saturday, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the man's release from custody, following his arrest yesterday.The force said today that the investigation was 'moving at a significant pace' and that they were 'deploying all of the necessary resources to find out exactly what has happened'.Officers are reportedly viewing CCTV from Miss Widdecombe's property for clues and there remains a large police presence in the area.Neighbours have reacted with shock to Miss Widdecombe's death.Christine Maloney said the area was 'very safe' and it was not unusual for people to leave their cars and front doors unlocked.She said of the former MP: 'My husband saw her a week ago, driving around. Ex–Tory minister Ann Widdecombe was found dead at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor on Thursday after sustaining serious injuries. Police outside Miss Widdecombe's home in Devon. Today, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the release of a 26–year–old man from custody, following his arrest on Friday Officers outside Miss Widdecombe's home. The force said the investigation was 'moving at a significant pace''I'm very shocked at (her death), it shouldn't have happened, it's horrific. Everyone knows that's her house, perhaps that's the problem?'She added: 'It's got to be someone that's local or knows her.'Whoever did it, I think they should put him out for the locals to deal with him.'Miss Widdecombe, who was unmarried and had lived alone since her retirement in 2010, was last seen during an interview on Talk TV at around 8am the previous day. She had been scheduled to appear on Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 show later that morning but failed to appear.In a post on X Channel 5 presenter Dan Walker said that Miss Widdecombe had been due to appear on 5 Daytime on Wednesday afternoon 'but stopped responding to messages and didn't turn up for the show'. He added: 'The team contacted her agent to ask them to check in on her. This information has been passed to police as it's part of the investigation.'ITV News reported that a researcher on the Channel 5 show had spoken to Miss Widdecombe on the phone earlier in the afternoon to set up the interview.After the call, the researcher exchanged messages with Miss Widdecombe, with her last message received at 12:19pm.When the researcher then messaged again at 12:48pm requesting that Miss Widdecombe join the Zoom link in preparation for the remote interview, she did not reply. Miss Widdecombe inside her kitchen where it is believed her body was found Subsequent voice calls and messages asking if everything was ok remained unanswered. Concerns were raised by the show's research team about the uncharacteristic lack of response by Miss Widdecombe, who was a regular on the show.They contacted her agent later on Wednesday and followed up again on Thursday.Her family became worried when they were unable to raise her on the phone. Police were called around 11.40am on Thursday after the gardener discovered her body in the kitchen of the bungalow in Haytor. Last night, a source close to the family said: 'We're in total shock and disbelief. It was hard enough to find out we'd lost Ann – but we still have yet to come to terms with the fact that she died in such brutal circumstances. Perhaps we never will. 'She was a little, frail old lady. What we find most difficult of all is that she must have been in abject terror for the last minutes of her life.'The 78–year–old Brexiteer and devout Catholic refused to be cowed by terrorists – even after the murder of fellow MP and 'best friend in Parliament,' Sir David Amess. Asked last October whether she ever feared being physically attacked because of her beliefs and high profile, Miss Widdecombe said defiantly: "No."'I took a very robust attitude,' she said. 'In my day, it was the IRA and I suppose I had a slightly faithless attitude.