Police have said that missing aristocrat Constance Marten's baby 'had been dead for some time' after remains were found following a major search for the two-month-old. Scores of officers from the Metropolitan Police and Sussex Police scoured 90 square miles of land near Brighton over the course of two days in search of the infant.
On Wednesday night, investigators revealed human remains had been found close to where Marten and her partner Mark Gordon were arrested on suspicion of child neglect earlier in the week. In a fresh update issued on Thursday afternoon, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said they had so far been unable to determine the gender of the dead child.
He said: "It's important to give the investigation team time and space to establish more details about the circumstances of the death. At this stage we have not been able to confirm the baby's gender and a post-mortem has not yet taken place.
"Despite this, based on the enquiries we've carried out so far, we believe, sadly, the baby had been dead for several weeks before they were found. It's too early for us to provide a more specific date.
"Because we believe the death occurred during the course of a missing person investigation, we have made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. This is standard protocol for such circumstances.”
Marten and Gordon had allegedly been avoiding police for several weeks and were detained by officers in the city without the child - sparking a widespread search in the Sussex undergrowth. Helicopters, sniffer dogs, drones and thermal imaging cameras were all deployed during the two-day operation.
This morning, a heavy police presence remained at the scene, where a blue forensic tent was in place, the Mirror reports. Allotments that were at the centre of the search have been cordoned off, as well as an extensive area of woodland and nearby houses.
On Wednesday night, DS Basford said in a statement at Sussex Police headquarters: "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 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." DS Basford said a post-mortem examination would take place in due course.
Marten and Gordon refused to divulge information on the location or welfare of the baby while they were held in custody, leading to the extensive search operation. Detectives were granted a 36-hour custody extension by Brighton magistrates earlier on Wednesday.
After a car belonging to Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, was found on fire abandoned next to the M61 in Bolton on January 5, police began a lengthy search for the couple. Inquiries revealed Marten, who comes from an aristocratic family with royal connections, had given birth recently - possibly one or two days before the incident - and had not been assessed by medical professionals.
Greater Manchester Police established the family had left the car and the motorway safely. They used taxis to first travel to Liverpool, then Harwich in Essex, and on to east London, before arriving in Sussex on January 8.
The couple avoided detection by only making payments in cash, hiding their faces on CCTV and often moving around at night or in the early hours of the morning. At around 9.30pm on Monday, a member of the public - who recognised Marten and Gordon from media appeals - dialled 999 after spotting the pair withdrawing cash at a convenience store in Hollingbury Place.
Officers arrived at the scene and detained the couple six minutes later. CCTV footage from just before they were caught appears to show Gordon, who served 20 years in a US jail for rape and battery, limping and using a large stick to walk.
Throughout the time the couple were missing, police appealed to them to get their baby medical attention, and raised concerns that the family had been sleeping rough in freezing temperatures. Both Marten's parents made public pleas through the media, and police offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the couple being found.
A Brighton food bank worker told the Mirror that the pair were seen "looking a bit shifty" a week ago, and they did not have their baby with them.
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