Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been remanded in custody charged with the manslaughter of a baby named Victoria.
Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, appeared at Crawley magistrates court on Friday charged with gross negligence manslaughter, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.
The couple were arrested in Brighton on Monday and charged on Thursday after the remains of the infant were found on Wednesday afternoon. Detectives believe the baby had been dead for several weeks and said on Wednesday it was not possible to tell if it was a girl or a boy.
The court heard on Friday that the infant’s remains were found in a plastic bag under some nappies in an allotment shed. A postmortem examination was expected to take place on Friday.
Marten and Gordon spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and that they were of no fixed abode during a short hearing in a packed courtroom. Gordon wore a grey jumper over his head throughout the hearing.
They are scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey on 31 March.
The chair of the bench of magistrates, Carol Lintott, said: “You are both here today … on charges of manslaughter, concealment of the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice. We are sending the case to the crown court sitting at the Old Bailey. We are remanding you in custody until that time.”
The Metropolitan police have referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which said it was “assessing the referral to determine what, if any, further action is required from us”.
Marten and Gordon had been missing since 5 January, when their car was found abandoned and on fire next to a motorway in Bolton. It sparked a 53-day search for the pair, with hundreds of police officers using dogs, thermal cameras, helicopters and drones to help look for the baby.
