Police are continuing to search for the missing baby of Constance Marten as officers said they now have to "consider the possibility" that the infant has "come to harm".
The missing aristocrat, 35 and her partner Mark Gordon, 48 were taken into police custody on Monday after being found in Brighton. Officers are now scouring a large area between Brighton and Newhaven to find the pair's missing baby, who has not had any medical attention since birth in early January.
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Met Police Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said that extensive searches are continuing for the baby through the use of police helicopters, drones, sniffer dogs and thermal imaging cameras. Det Supt Basford said: "Throughout this investigation our key priority has been finding the baby, and we remain committed to that."
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Police appealed to members of the public between Brighton and Newhaven to report any "suspicious behaviour" that they see. Det Supt Basford urged: "If you are out walking in these areas and you discover something you think is pertinent to the investigation, please don't hesitate to contact us, no matter how insignificant it may seem."
Marten and Gordon were initially arrested by Sussex Police on suspicion of child neglect, and detectives confirmed on Tuesday that they have now been further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. The couple are known to have travelled huge distances during the time they have been missing from Bolton to Liverpool, then to Essex, then to east London, and then to Newhaven in Sussex, where they were last seen on January 8, before being spotted by a member of the public in Brighton on Monday.
More than 200 officers have been involved in the search for the two-month-old, but said that so far nothing significant has been found. Det Supt Basford said: "We feel that the risk is getting so great that we now have to consider the possibility that the baby has come to harm, and that will now be subject as part of that investigation by the officers involved."
He added: "Whilst we still have hope that the baby can be found safe and well we must retain that hope. However, as time progresses and as the weather closes tonight as it was last night in terms of the coldness and the impact that would have on a baby, clearly the risk is getting higher and we have to be open to the fact that this may not end the way we would like."
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