Constance Marten baby updates — Investigation enters ‘new phase’ as aristocrat and Mark Gordon charged

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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.

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

When did Constance Marten go missing?

Constance, her baby, and her partner Mark vanished after their vehicle broke down near junction four of the M61, near Bolton on January 5, 2023.

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.

Post-mortem to take place after infants body was found

A post-mortem on a body found during the search for Constance Marten and her lover Mark Gordon’s newborn will be carried out “within days”.

Police yesterday discovered the remains of a baby in a wooded area in Brighton, near to where the pair were arrested on Monday.

Formal identification of the body has not yet happened – but a post-mortem is due to take place.

According to the NHS, post-mortems should be carried out “as soon as possible”, usually within two to three working days of a person’s death.

And in some cases, it “may be possible for it to take place within 24 hours”.

Police used ‘every resource’ they could to find the missing baby

Police found Constance Marten’s and Mark Gordon’s baby last night and confirmed that “a post mortem examination will be held in due course.”

Hundreds of police officers scoured 90 square miles of the Sussex countryside and used helicopters, sniffer dogs, thermal imaging cameras and drones along with other teams in a bid to find the baby.

Marten and Gordon looked ‘very suspicious’

On Monday evening, CCTV from a house captures the pair walking the streets without their baby as a neighbour told The Sun that they looked “very suspicious.”

They walked by her house at 8.40pm with no shopping bags and then returned at 9.25pm carrying two bags of food from a shop.

She said: “I thought it looked very odd for that time of night. Why would a man be carrying a large stick? They were wearing a lot of layers of clothes, as if they’d been out and about for a long time.

“He was shouting. It was yelling. He was very angry. He had this big stick which was random. He was shouting at her. He was animated. They were having an argument.

“Looking back it’s really scary. I’m terrified for that poor baby. There was no sign of a baby when they came by.”

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon visited the Brighton Food Bank last Wednesday

Aristocrat Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were spotted at a Brighton Food Bank days before their arrest, however, they didn’t ask for any nappies for their newborn.

Workers only realised that they were the suspects when they saw the news of their arrest for child negligence on Monday night.

One worker said: “They were given tinned food, bread, pasta, milk and rice. They were not registered with us, which is how we usually operate.

“The baby was not with them. We have supplies here but they didn’t ask for anything for a baby. But they came asking for help for themselves.

“She did the talking and the man looked shifty at the back with his hood up. She asked for help. She was wearing a lot of layers and looking back, she looked like she’d been outside for a while.

“He looked shifty. He was checking the area. He stood back and would not make eye contact. She did the talking. We didn’t take any details, we just gave them food because we thought they needed help.

“He was wearing a baseball cap. It was very shifty. I didn’t know about the couple. When I saw their pictures on the news when they had been arrested I thought ‘oh, we gave them some food last week’.

“We have a set amount that we give. We are not providing people with every single meal in a single day. It was a very, very quick thing that was done. They asked for some food and we gave them the food and they left.”

Who is Constance's brother Maximilian?

Maximilian is one of Constance's younger brothers.

He married jewellery designer Ruth Aymer in August 2021 at York House in Richmond.

Max works in sustainable real estate

He has a brother, Freddie, who attended his wedding.

What was involved in the search for the infant?

Since the pair's arrest police had been desperately searching across 91-square miles of East Sussex for the missing baby.

Over 200 officers were spotted searching under cars and behind bins in Stanmer Villas and nearby Roedale Valley Allotments.

Neighbour heard ‘baby’s cries’ before body found

A heartbreaking note has revealed a neighbour heard a baby crying before a body was found during the hunt for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon’s missing newborn.

The card, attached to a white teddy bear reads: “RIP little darling.

“I am so traumatised. I should have followed your cries.

“I will never forget.”

When were the couple found?

That couple were located by cops on the residential street shortly before 9.30pm.

They were spotted near a convenience store by a member of the public who then rang 999.

The moment cops swooped on the pair was captured on video by a witness.

Witnesses said cops allegedly pinned him down on the ground for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile a tearful Marten yelled at police to "get off" her lover.

Timeline of events

• January 5 – an investigation is launched by Greater Manchester Police after the pair’s car was found on fire and abandoned on the M61 in Bolton.
• January 6 – The suspects took a taxi to Liverpool and then to Harwich, Essex at around 3.30am.
• January 7 – They were seen at Harwich at around 9am and then travelled into London.
• January 8 – The pair take a taxi to Newhaven ferry port in east sussex. They walk to the A256 and cross to the B2109 and shelter from the rane. At 6.15am they are seen walking along Cantercrow Hill carrying bags and a blue tent.
• January 9 – Essex Police briefly take over the investigation.
• January 12 – The Metropolitan Police take over the investigation.
• January 18 – Police make a public appeal to help find the family and revealed that Mark Gordon is a convicted sex offender.
• Januaryy 19 – Napier Marten appeals through the Independent newspaper for his daughter to hand herself in.
• January 24 – The police repeat their concerns for the baby’s safety.
• January 31 – a £10,000 reward is offered by the Metropolitan Police for information leading to the family being found safe.
• February 7 – Constance’s mother Virginie de Selliers publishes an open letter to her daughter, pledging to support her and telling her “you are not alone”.
• February 21 – the Metropolitan Police make the latest in a number of public appeals to find the family, including a plea from midwife Shereen Nimmo to Miss Marten to get her baby medical attention.
• February 27 – 9.30pm the couple are arrested in Brighton on suspicion of child neglect after a tip-off from a member of the public.
• March 1 – after a massive search involving hundreds of police officers and search teams scouring a 90-square mile area, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford confirms that human remains have been found in a wooded area.

Newborn ‘may have died some time ago’

The body was last night found after the couple was discovered by cops in Brighton on Monday after 54 days on the run.

Police gave a heartbreaking update on the found remains.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford told reporters that the baby "may have been dead for some time" - and cops have not been able to confirm its gender.

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford’s full statement

“It is my very sad duty to update this afternoon (March 1) police officers searching a wooded area close to where Constance Marten 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 other officers who had been a part of this search had hoped would not happen.

“I recognise the impact this news will have on the many people who have followed this story closely and can assure them we will do everything we possibly can to establish what happened.

“Constance Marten and Mark Gordon remain in custody after the application for an extension for a further 36 hours was sought and granted by Brighton Magistrate’s court.

“It is imperative now that media and members of the public refrain from speculation and comments online that could be prejudicial to potential court proceedings.

“I ask again for anyone with information should call 02083453854.”

Infants body was found just 5 minutes from where couple were arrested

Police looking for runaway aristocrat Constance Marten’s baby found a child's remains in woodland next to an allotment just five minutes from where the pair were arrested, it was claimed today.

It is close to a public footpath and green screens have been erected next to Lower Roedale allotments - a five-minute walk from where Marten, 35, and her rapist lover Mark Gordon, 48, were arrested on Monday.

They remain in custody after being arrested for child neglect and gross negligence manslaughter.

One local said: “Police arrived at around 4.45pm and told us they had found the baby.

“I believe it was found on the path in the woodland rather than in a shed or anything on the actual allotment site.

“I don’t think it was buried - I think it was on the path."

Local community 'impacted' by police discovery

Speaking last night, Det Supt Lewis Basford from the Metropolitan Police noted how the discovery of Constance Merten's deceased baby will undoubtedly "impact" the people of Brighton.

"This is an outcome that myself and that many officers who have been part of this search had hoped would not happen," he said.

"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."

When did the couple go missing?

Miss Marten and Gordon were reported missing after their car broke down near Bolton, Greater Manchester, on January 5.

The pair ditched their burning car and a nationwide hunt for the three of them began.

They are 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.

Concerns grew for the missing aristocrat, 35, and her baby, as temperatures across the country plummeted.

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

Local parents 'concerned' following police discovery

Parents and residents of the area where Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were found in Brighton remain in shock, following the discovery of their baby's remains in the woods.

A mother of two, who did not want to be named, told PA: "Parents are concerned about what they are hearing and what is going to be said at school.

"Everyone is a bit in shock, we can't quite believe it."

Lilia Robertson, 48, also told the publication: "It is awful. We have got young children who have been questioning what is happening.

"I feel worried about going into the wood and that's where I would normally walk."

Couple visited food bank without asking for baby supplies

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon are known to have visited a Brighton food bank before their arrest.

However, while there they did not ask for baby supplies.

The couple also visited a convenience store, where they also did not buy anything for their baby.

Police discovered what they believe to be the remains of the couple's baby last night.

Marten and Gordon looked 'very suspicious'

On Monday evening, CCTV from a house captures the pair walking the streets without their baby as a neighbour told The Sun that they looked "very suspicious."

They walked by her house at 8.40pm with no shopping bags and then returned at 9.25pm carrying two bags of food from a shop.

She said: "I thought it looked very odd for that time of night. Why would a man be carrying a large stick? They were wearing a lot of layers of clothes, as if they’d been out and about for a long time.

"He was shouting. It was yelling. He was very angry. He had this big stick which was random. He was shouting at her. He was animated. They were having an argument.

"Looking back it’s really scary. I’m terrified for that poor baby. There was no sign of a baby when they came by."

In pictures: Heavy police presence remains on the scene

A heavy police presence remains near the site where Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested this week.

Officials have placed a blue forensic tent in Golf Drive, which has access to the allotments where the hunt for Marten's baby took place.

What did police say last night?

Last night police confirmed they had found the remains of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon's infant child.

In a statement, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: “It is my very sad duty to update that this afternoon, police officers searching a wooded area close to where Constance Marten 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 the many officers who have been part of the search, had hoped would not happen.

“I recognise the impact this news will have on the 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.

“Constance Martin and Mark Gordon remain in custody after an application for the extension of their detention for a further 36 hours was sought from Brighton Magistrates’ Court.

“It is imperative now that media and members of the public refrain from speculation and comments online that could be prejudicial to potential court proceedings. No further information about the discovery will be shared at this time.”

Police continue to search location where baby was found

Police have continued to search the allotments which played a key role in the hunt for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon's baby this morning.

Five uniformed officers from the Metropolitan Police entered the cordoned off plots near Hollingdean skatepark in Brighton on Thursday morning while two police vans remain at the cordon entrance.

Police confirmed they had found the remains of an infant yesterday, with a post-mortem set to take place within "days."