The search for a mother and her newborn child today reached its 40th day. Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were travelling in a car which was found on fire on the hard-shoulder of the M61.
The mum - who is from a wealthy land-owning family with links to the Royal Family - disappeared with her newborn baby boy and sex offender partner Mark Gordon on January 5th. The pair abandoned their burning vehicle after it broke down near junction 4 of the motorway at Farnworth in Bolton. The car, bought six days earlier, was discovered at 6.33pm that day.
Missing aristocrat Constance may have given birth in the back of the car that was abandoned, the Manchester Evening News previously reported. M.E.N. sources connected to the investigation say placenta was found in the back seat of the couple's charred vehicle by fire crews. Police reportedly believe the baby was born in the car one or two days before the family went missing.
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It is now thought the family could be camping in the Sussex countryside. The last known sighting of them was on Sunday January 8th.
Serious concerns remain as neither Constance, 35, nor the baby have seen a doctor. The family have no luggage as most of their belongings were destroyed in the fire, but Constance is believed to have access to substantial resources.
Gordon, 48, is a convicted sex offender. His conviction relates to a Florida attack on a woman in her early 20s when he was 14 and he served 20 years in a US jail for rape and battery. Constance's estranged father Napier Martin - who is a former page to the late Queen - has appealed through The Independent for his daughter to let police know where she is 'as soon as possible'.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, of the Metropolitan Police, has renewed an appeal for information. He said: “Previous appeals have resulted in around 300 calls from members of the public, but sadly they have not led to the couple and their baby being found.
“While we are very grateful to everyone who has already called, we still need to hear from anyone who has seen the couple since Sunday, 8 January and we are offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information that leads to the family being found.
“I am appealing in particular to people who may have spent time in the countryside near Newhaven and elsewhere in Sussex to think carefully as to whether they may have seen Constance and Mark over the past four weeks. Given the time that's passed they may have travelled on, so I also need to hear from anyone who may have seen them further afield.
"For a month now Mark, Constance and her new-born have been continually on the move in sub-zero temperatures with no medical attention and we are increasingly concerned for their wellbeing. We know that the baby was still alive on 8 January and finding the baby remains our top priority."
The family took a taxi from Little Hulton, Salford, to Liverpool and then continued to Harwich where they were seen. They were also spotted in Colchester on January 7th. and later that day at East Ham station in London.
At 6.19pm Mark went into Argos on Whitechapel Road, E1, and bought two big bags full of items, paying in cash, including a blue two-man tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows – which sparked fears they have been camping, including at times when the temperature plummeted to sub-zero.
Detectives have traced the family to Newhaven in East Sussex. They were dropped off in a taxi at 04:56 on Sunday, January 8th just outside the entrance to the port. They then walked to where the A259 crosses over the B2109. They were seen sheltering from the rain, under the overpass, at about 6am.
At about 6.15am on Sunday, 8 January, they walked along Cantercrow Hill into the fields beyond. They were carrying a number of bags and their blue tent, and officers believe they have been camping in the area subsequently, although given the time that’s passed they could have moved on some considerable distance.
However, they were no longer in possession of the pushchair that they were previously seen with after they dumped it in Flower and Dean Walk, E1, at 23:46hrs on Saturday, 7 January.
Anyone who has information on the family’s whereabouts should call the incident room on 020 7175 0785.
Alternatively, information can be reported 100 percent anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They never ask for personal details and they do not trace your device..
