Police officers looking for a missing baby found the remains of a baby close to where the baby’s parents were caught after avoiding authorities for weeks.
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested on suspicion of child neglect and then gross negligence manslaughter after they wouldn’t say where their missing baby was, who hadn’t seen a doctor since it was born in early January.
A member of the public told police that Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, were with their child near Stanmer Villas in Brighton on Monday night.
Hundreds of officers searched open ground over a 90 sq mile region in Sussex as part of a “painstaking” search for the couple’s infant after their arrests ended a 53-day worldwide hunt for them.
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On Wednesday night, police said that the search had come to a “heartbreaking” end and that the child’s body had been found near where the parents had been arrested.
Speaking at Sussex police headquarters Det Supt Lewis Basford, the senior investigating officer with the Met, said –
“It is my very sad duty to update this afternoon, police officers searching a wooded area close to where Constance and Mark Gordon were arrested discovered the remains of a baby.”
“A postmortem examination will be held in due course. A crime scene is in place and work at the location is expected to continue for some time.”
“This is an outcome that myself and that many officers who have been part of this search had hoped would not happen. I recognise the impact this news will have on many people who have been following this story closely and can assure them that we will do everything we possibly can to establish what has happened.”
Ch Supt James Collis, of Sussex police, said –
“I understand that the conclusion of this search will be heartbreaking for the local community and the wider public who have been impacted by and so supportive of this search and the investigation from the outset.”
Marten and Gordon are still in jail because the police asked the Brighton magistrates court to keep them there for longer.
Marten comes from a wealthy aristocratic family with ties to the royal family. Before he met Gordon in 2016, he was a good drama student. The couple has been living alone, away from their family and friends.
They started staying in Airbnbs around the UK in September and saved up a substantial sum of money to enable them to go completely off the grid and hide from the police.
Since their car was found on fire on the M61 near Bolton, Greater Manchester, on January 5, they had been taking taxis to get around the UK. Marten may have given birth in the car, based on what was found.
Taxi drivers the couple used in the first few days after they disappeared said they heard a baby crying. No one knows if the baby was born healthy or if there were any health problems.
Authorities used to think that the couple was sleeping rough in a blue tent and had stayed hidden from the police by moving around a lot and covering their faces when they were in front of CCTV cameras.
They went from Bolton to Liverpool, then to Harwich, Essex, east London, and Newhaven, Sussex. On January 8, they were seen near the ferry port in Newhaven.
Shereen Nimmo, who is in charge of midwifery at Barts Health NHS trust, told the couple a little over a week ago that they should bring their baby in for checks. She said –
“You’re putting your baby at risk by not accessing medical care, so it’s really important that you come and see a midwife, doctor or another healthcare professional as soon as possible.”
“Babies need a safe, warm environment and all new mums are given information about safe sleeping for their baby to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.”
After the arrests, Marten’s estranged father, the film and music producer Napier Marten told the Independent –
“It is an immense relief to know my beloved daughter Constance has been found, tempered by the very alarming news her baby has yet to be found.”
This concludes our coverage of how police searching for a missing infant discovered the infant’s remains near the location where the infant’s parents were apprehended, after having evaded capture for weeks. Leave a comment if you’d like to share your opinion.
