A huge search for a two-month-old baby is taking place after parents Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested.
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.
They were arrested on suspicion of child neglect at around 9.30pm on Monday by officers from Sussex Police in Stanmer Villas, Brighton, after a tip-off from a member of the public, but their baby was not with them. The urgent search operation is underway to find the child, who has not had any medical attention since birth in early January.
READ MORE: Woman scammed her own grandad out of £75k
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.
“We know that they travel, we know they travel long distances.
“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.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
READ NEXT
Woman scammed her own grandad out of £75k
Boy, 4, walked out of school alone after teacher said he was with mum
Nearly 300 jobs at risk as Merseyside car parts plant to close
Brave boy's humble last wish after terminal diagnosis
John Bishop bringing 'most joyful' show he's worked on to Liverpool Empire this week
