Constance Marten's dad has shared his relief that his daughter has been found but he is alarmed her baby remains missing.
Miss Marten and her boyfriend Mark Gordon were arrested in Brighton on Monday night (February 27), on suspicion of child neglect after several weeks avoiding the police. Miss Marten, 35, and Mr Gordon, 48, have been travelling around the UK by taxi since their car was found burning on the M61 in Bolton on January 5.
The couple travelled from Bolton to Liverpool, then to Harwich in Essex, then to east London and then to Newhaven in Sussex, where they were seen near the ferry port on January 8. A huge search is under way in Sussex for the couple’s two-month-old baby, who was born in early January and has had no medical attention since then, with his parents sleeping rough in freezing temperatures much of the time.
READ MORE: Major search launched for missing baby after mum and dad arrested for child neglect
Miss Marten's dad Napier Marten told The Independent: “It is an immense relief to know my beloved daughter Constance has been found, tempered by the very alarming news her baby has yet to be found. For whatever reasons she and her partner went on the run, the consequences of their actions have increased many fold. It would have been far better if they had handed themselves in earlier.”
He thanked the member of the public who tipped off police about the couple’s whereabouts, as well as Metropolitan Police officers for their “dogged investigation”. Mr Marten added: “When the time comes, I am longing to see Constance to reassure her that, whatever the weather, I love her dearly and will support her as best I can through the difficult weeks and months here on in.”
Earlier today, senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford told BBC Breakfast that officers from the Metropolitan and Sussex Police forces are searching a huge area of land to try to find the infant. The couple are known to have travelled long distances during the time they have been missing and the BBC reported they were seen in Newhaven a few days ago.
Mr Basford said: “It is a vast area and at present we are looking in the local vicinity to where the couple were arrested last night, seeking a shelter or location for where they may have been holed up and hopefully where the baby is present.
“The arrest location was close to open land and the couple were moving towards that land. And that’s why we are focusing heavily on where we are right now.
“My plea to the members of the public here in Brighton and crossing over towards Newhaven is please be vigilant in the open land where you are, in the outbuildings that you may have on your own property, and assist us in that way by being vigilant.”
Marten, who is from a wealthy aristocratic family, was a drama student when she first met Gordon in 2016. Since then the couple have led an isolated life, and in September, as Marten’s pregnancy progressed, began moving around rental flats.
Gordon served 20 years in prison in the US for rape and battery committed when he was 14. It is unknown if their baby was full-term or has any health issues.
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