Police confirm body found in search for missing baby of Constance Marten and partner

Police have confirmed a body has been found in the search for the missing baby of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon after the couple were arrested on Monday, after 53 days evading authorities.

The pair were further arrested under suspicion of gross negligence and manslaughter as officers searching for their missing child said they ‘had to consider the baby has come to harm’. Conducting the urgent search, officers used drones, sniffer dogs, thermal imaging cameras, helicopters and had the help of many volunteers as they worked day and night, fearing the worst.

Police confirmed on Wednesday evening that they had found the remains of a baby in their huge search operation of 90 sqm in Brighton. The body was located in a wooded area close to where the couple were arrested in Stanmer Villas, after a member of the public reported seeing the pair at around 9.30pm. 

Marten and Gordon were without their baby at the time of their arrest prompting officers to conduct an urgent search to find the infant. Police have not yet confirmed if the body is that of their baby’s and said a post-mortem will be carried out in due course.

The couple had spent more than seven weeks on the run after their car was found on fire and abandoned on the M61 near Bolton on January 5th. Fire crews found evidence that suggested Ms Marten had given birth just a couple days prior, sparking a huge search as police believed the baby had not received any medical attention.

Chief Superintendent James Collis, of Sussex Police, said the announcement would be ‘heartbreaking’ for the local community to receive. He 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, 35, comes from an aristocratic family with royal connections. Gordon, a registered sex offender, was deported to Britain in 2010 from the US after he served 20 years in prison for a rape he committed when he was aged 14. The couple began a romantic relationship in 2016 and Marten has been estranged from her family 

Both Marten and Gordon remain in custody while investigations continue and Police have asked the public not to speculate. There are concerns the newborn may have been dead for a couple of weeks as parents Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were seen without the infant on several occasions.

They were seen on CCTV on February 11 going into a fish and chip shop in Brighton, shopping at a convenience store and later visiting food banks, according to local residents. The last person to see the baby alive was on January 7th when the couple took a taxi in Whitechapel, east London. Days before they were arrested they made a visit to Brighton Food Bank.

As reported in The Mail Online, one worker said they did not ask for anything for an infant, even though they had ample supplies of nappies and baby food, adding: “They were given tinned food, bread, pasta, milk and rice. They were not registered with us, which is how we usually operate. The baby was not with them. We have supplies here but they didn’t ask for anything for a baby. But they came asking for help for themselves.

“She did the talking and the man stayed back with his hood up. She asked for help. She was wearing a lot of layers and looked like she’d been outside for a while. He was checking the area. He stood back and would not make eye contact. She did the talking. We didn’t take any details, we just gave them food because we thought they needed help.”