A missing aristocrat who fled a burning car near Bolton with her partner and newborn baby is now believed to have been camping in the Sussex countryside. A reward of up to £10,000 is being offered for information that can help officers find Constance Marten, convicted sex offender Mark Gordon, and their child.
It's now one month to the day since officers were called out to a car fire on the M61 motorway near junction four, at Farnworth, on January 5. They are now believed to have been camping in freezing winter conditions for weeks, around 300 miles from where they abandoned the car in Greater Manchester.
In a direct appeal to the family today (February 5), Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford of the Metropolitan Police 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."
Police believe the trio had fled the car, with most of their belongings destroyed, just one or two days after Constance had given birth. It's believed the family then travelled to Liverpool before taking a taxi to Essex in the early hours of January 6, before they were seen in East Ham, London, the following day.
From there, the trio took a taxi to Whitechapel Road. The couple were seen - with their faces covered - leaving the taxi with an orange carrier bag and a pram at 6.14pm on January 7.
Five minutes later, Mark went into an Argos store and bought items including a blue two-man tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows. The trio continued to travel through London before catching a taxi from Haringey to Newhaven, in East Sussex, where they were dropped off outside the port at 4.56am on January 8.
They were seen sheltering from the rain under an overpass at around 6am, before walking along Cantercrow Hill into the fields beyond. The Met says they were carrying a number of bags and their blue tent, but the pushchair had previously been dumped in East London.
Officers believe they have been camping in the Sussex area ever since, although they may have moved a 'considerable distance' since they arrived. Det Supt Basford said: "Previous appeals have resulted in around 300 calls from members of the public, but sadly they have not led to the couple and their baby being found.
"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, January 8 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."
He added: "For a month now Mark, Constance and her new-born have been continually on the move in sub-zero temperatures with no medical attention and we are increasingly concerned for their wellbeing. 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.”
Anyone who has information on the family’s whereabouts should call The Met's incident room on 020 7175 0785. Alternatively, information can be reported anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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