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Who is Constance Marten?

CONSTANCE Marten disappeared in January 2023 along with lover Mark Gordon.

Marten and Gordon are due to stand trial for manslaughter. Here's what we know about them.

Police have located missing mum Constance Marten
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Police have located missing mum Constance MartenCredit: PA

Who is Constance Marten?

Constance Marten is the granddaughter of Mary Anna Marten - whose godmother was the late Queen Mother.

She was born in 1987 to mum Virginie de Selliers and father, Napier Marten, who was a page to Queen Elizabeth.

Constance was deemed an "it girl" when she appeared on upmarket mag Tatler's babe of the month page while she was a student in 2008.

It is believed that she paid for her time at drama school via a multi-million pound trust fund stored at C. Hoare & Co, the UK's oldest private bank.

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However, she has reportedly led an isolated life since moving in with her partner Gordon in 2016.

When did Constance Marten go missing?

Marten was reported missing in January when the car she was travelling in was found abandoned on the side of a motorway.

The pair disappeared from the M61 motorway after the vehicle caught fire.

It's believed before they disappeared, Marten withdrew large amounts of cash and the pair bought burner phones with multiple sim cards.

They are also believed to have spent time sleeping rough and travelling the country using cabs after being spotted buying camping equipment from an East  Argos on January 7.

Before they were found, the pair were last seen with their baby in Newhaven, East Sussex, on January 9.

CCTV captured images of the hooded pair dumping their child's pram in the port town.

Cops previously said the new mum had given birth in her car days before the pair fled.

Where was Constance Marten found?

Constance and Mark were located in Brighton on Monday, February 27, 2023, after a tip-off from a member of the public - 54 days after they had gone on the run.

However, their baby was not with them when police found the pair on a residential street shortly before 9.30pm.

A Met Police spokesman said at the time: "Shortly before 9.30pm on Monday, a member of the public reported a sighting of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon in Stanmer Villas, Brighton.

"Officers from Sussex Police attended the location and the pair were arrested. They remain in custody.

"The baby is still missing and an urgent search operation is taking place in the area.

"Anyone with information that could assist the search is asked to call 999."

At a press conference on March 1, 2023, police said the remains of a baby were discovered in a wooded area in Brighton, near to where the pair were arrested.

Speaking at Sussex Police headquarters, Met Police Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford told reporters: "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 post mortem examination will be held in due course.

"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."

Marten is charged with manslaughter, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.

She is due to appear alongside lover Gordon at Crawley Crown Court on March 31, 2023.

Who is Mark Gordon?

Mark Gordon, 48, is a convicted sex offender who served 20 years in US jail for rape and battery.

He was put behind bars following an attack on a woman in Florida when he was just 14.

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He served his sentence in Florida before being deported back to the UK in 2010.

Gordon is reported to have met Constance in 2016.

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