Constance Marten latest news: Missing baby feared dead as aristocrat and partner arrested for manslaughter

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were further arrested on suspicion of grossly negligent homicide, police said.

Speaking to reporters in Brighton, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford also said the risk of the couple’s missing baby was becoming “so great” that officers “have to consider that the baby has been harmed”.

“We must keep this hope that the baby is found safe and well. However, over time the risk increases as the weather approaches and the cold would affect a baby and this may not end the way we would like,” he said.

Detectives trying to find Constance Marten’s baby have said the risk to the child’s well-being is “as great as it was in the investigation” as they search the Sussex undergrowth.

The aristocrat and her partner Mark Gordon were arrested in Brighton on Monday on suspicion of child neglect after evading police for several weeks, but the child was not seen with them.

The couple were arrested after a 999 call by a member of the public who had seen media reports about the couple.

Read our report in full here:

On January 5, aristocrat Constance Marten, her sex offender Mark Gordon and their newborn baby disappeared on the M61 near Bolton after leaving a broken down car which was later found ablaze.

The couple were found by Sussex Police officers in Brighton on Monday night but their baby remains missing.

Kate Plummer And Andy Gregory Go through 12 key facts about the case:

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: “During this investigation, our top priority has been finding the baby and we remain committed to that. There is a significant amount of police search activity in open areas north of Brighton near where the couple were arrested last night.

“Prior to the arrests, the last known sighting of the pair was in Newhaven on Wednesday 8 January. I am therefore appealing to the public between Brighton and Newhaven to report any potential sightings or any information as to where they may have been sleeping. I would also ask people living in these areas to report any suspicious behavior or objects found in their gardens, outbuildings and sheds between then and now.

“Even if you are traveling in these areas and discover something that you think we should know about, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please do not hesitate to contact us. Public support is vital and we ask people to remain vigilant.

“During the investigation we have received a large number of calls from members of the public. I would like to thank everyone who reached out with information to help us and especially the person who quickly called the police after spotting Constance and Mark last night. Our colleagues from Sussex Police were on the scene within minutes to make the arrest. We are very grateful for the support they are giving.

Anyone with sightings or information that may aid in the search is asked to call the scene on 0208 3453 865 or 999 and share anything they think may be relevant.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said Constance Marten and Mark Gordon lived outside before they were found.

He told reporters: “The working hypothesis remains that we believe they have been in the open country and open areas, so our focus and search is where it is.”

“We are aware that there are outbuildings, it’s a huge amount of land.”

He added: “I am very pleased to be able to confirm, based on the initial assessments that we have, related to our justification and reason for searching open country, that the location of the couple and the arrest of the couple matter is intelligence information that leads us to hypothesize that they spent a lot of time outdoors.

“Living in the country and of course the vast amount of land here in Sussex.”

Fifty-three days after fleeing with a newborn baby, missing aristocrat Constance Marten and boyfriend Mark Gordon were finally caught — with the help of a member of the public outside a corner shop.

The couple were recognized by a passerby thanks to media calls and police fell just six minutes later as they were walking up a nearby Brighton street.

“Yesterday shortly after 9:30 p.m [Monday] In the evening, following media reports of pictures of the couple, a member of the public sighted them outside the Mulberrys store in Hollingbury Place,” Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said at a news conference.

Our Home Secretary Lizzie Dearden has the details:

The couple had spent weeks living off the grid in an apparent attempt to evade authorities who were concerned for the well-being of their newborn baby, who has yet to be found.

The couple, aged 35 and 48 respectively, were arrested at Stanmer Villas in Brighton on Monday night, police said, and a wide-scale search is underway for their baby, whose gender is not yet known.

Detectives trying to find Constance Marten’s baby have said the risk to the child’s well-being is “as great as it was in the investigation” as they search the Sussex undergrowth.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, lead investigating officer, said police were assessing the baby’s well-being “on an hourly, hourly” basis.

He said nothing of significance was found, including items such as a tent purchased from Argos on January 7, adding: “We would still say we are actively looking for it.”

Mr Basford told reporters: “We don’t have anyone who has actually physically seen the baby.

“We’re still in a position where we’re hoping the baby is doing well and doing well.

“We agree that the risk is extremely high – probably as high as in the investigation.

“Of course, as things are moving fast, we’re making hourly assessments of what our hypotheses are about the baby’s continued well-being.”

Police have indicated that Constance Marten and Mark Gordon could have entrusted their missing baby to a third party.

Senior investigating officer Det Supt Lewis Basford gave an update on the search this afternoon and suggested the couple may have offered their “cash reserves” to a like-minded or non-law-abiding person in exchange for them protecting their baby.

“While we are still in the position, we hope the baby is safe and we agree the risk is extremely high,” he told reporters.

When asked if Ms Marten and Mr Gordon might have given the baby to someone else, he replied: “Our main investigation is that they were in charge of the baby and we did not see this at any point in the short period of video surveillance they allowed others to have the baby.

But he added: “The rationale for the [£10,000] Reward is because we can’t rule out the possibility that on this journey they found someone who is like-minded or doesn’t meet law enforcement’s goals of protecting the baby and may have used the cash reserves we know they use for had to offer safe accommodation.”