A missing aristocrat and her sex-offender partner are believed to have been camping in the Sussex countryside with their newborn baby as police appealed directly to them to get in touch. Constance Marten, 35 and from a wealthy family with connections to the royals, has lived an isolated life with her boyfriend Mark Gordon, 48, since they met in 2016.
The couple and their newborn went missing in early January and none of them have had any medical attention since then. A £10,000 reward has previously been offered in the hunt for information on the trio’s whereabouts and the Metropolitan Police said that is still on the table.
The force has reiterated its appeals for information, stating that concern for the wellbeing of all three “continues to grow”. In an update in the early hours of Sunday, the Met said they believe the missing trio have been camping out in the Sussex countryside.
The police service said it had received around 300 calls in the operation to find the pair and their baby, but “sadly they have not led to the couple and their baby being found”. Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: “While we are very grateful to everyone who has already called, we still need to hear from anyone who has seen the couple since Sunday, 8 January and we are offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information that leads to the family being found.
“I am appealing in particular to people who may have spent time in the countryside near Newhaven and elsewhere in Sussex to think carefully as to whether they may have seen Constance and Mark over the past four weeks. Given the time that’s passed they may have travelled on, so I also need to hear from anyone who may have seen them further afield.”
Addressing the missing couple directly, he said: “Constance and Mark, your baby has spent the first month of its short life exposed to the elements when it should be safe and warm and, most importantly, seen by medics. After a month you must be running low on cash. Please pick up the phone and let us know, at the very least, that you are okay. We are ready to come to you and see that you and the baby get medical attention.”
He also insisted that members of the public should not feel concerned about coming forward with information and appealed to people to do “the right thing”. He said: “We know that the baby was still alive on 8 January and finding the baby remains our top priority. Maybe you have information but were reluctant to come forward to help us find the family. It does not matter why you did not speak to us earlier, what matters is doing the right thing now for the good of this highly vulnerable infant.
“If you have seen the family, if you gave them directions, if they got into your taxi or came into your shop to buy food, drink or nappies – no matter how small a detail it may seem – please do get in touch. Please also be assured that if they have paid you to provide a service, a lift, somewhere to stay or something else, you are not in any sort of trouble, we just need you to tell us what you know so that we can find them and make them safe.”
The police search for the family was sparked when officers were called to a burning car on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on January 5. It emerged that the couple had abandoned the car when it broke down and took a taxi to Liverpool, and from there to Harwich in Essex.
Since then they have been seen in east London, before travelling to north London and then on to Newhaven, East Sussex. In east London they bought camping gear and had a pram, but dumped the buggy in Flower and Dean Walk near Brick Lane shortly before midnight on Saturday January 7.
Anyone with information can call the incident room on 020 7175 0785 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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