A search for a missing mother and her newborn child has entered its sixth day, with every hotel in one city being checked. Police are concerned that Constance Marten, 35, has the financial resources to survive indefinitely as she is from a wealthy, landowning family.
Constance, and her partner Mark Gordon, disappeared after the car they were travelling in broke down on the M61 near Bolton, Greater Manchester, on Thursday evening, before leaving on foot with their baby boy.
The family were last seen in Colchester, with Essex Police stating that they now have a number of confirmed sightings in the city, MyLondon reports. Yesterday, officers worked through the night to visit every single hotel and bed and breakfast in Colchester to establish whether the couple and their baby had recently stayed. The search is continuing today (Wednesday, January 11) and leaflets are being handed out to help members of the public identify Constance and Mark.
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It has now emerged Constance is from an aristocratic landowning family in Dorset with 'ties to the Royal Family'. But the Manchester Evening News understands she has not been in close contact with them for a considerable time. The car the couple were in had only been purchased six days before they went missing
The vehicle broke down near junction four of the M61 near at Farnworth on January 5th and that they left the motorway by walking towards Anchor Lane bridge, which links the Highfield and Little Hulton areas. Evidence suggests that Constance had only recently given birth to the couple’s child, and has not been assessed by medical professionals.
Intelligence provided by taxi drivers suggests that the couple paid cash to travel first to Liverpool and then to Essex. They later stayed at a hotel using false names. They were spotted in Harwich Port in Essex at around 9am on Saturday morning.
Amid growing concerns for their welfare, a CCTV image was released of Ms Marten wearing a red shawl near Harwich Port at 9am on January 7. Police said they were later seen in Colchester and enquiries remain ongoing.
In police statements, Mr Gordon is described as wearing dark clothing while Ms Marten is said to have a southern accent and was wearing a burgundy coat. The baby is swaddled.
In a statement, Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston said: “As we have said previously, from our perspective this search is about the young child’s welfare. We know some elements of the public may see police involvement as unwelcome and I would seek to assure you that we do not wish to impose ourselves for any reason other than to make sure the new-born baby is alive and well.
“I am a parent myself and I know the bond a mother and father have with their child, but I would appeal directly to Mark and Constance to put the welfare of their child first. To you, Constance, medical professionals still need to assess your baby to make sure he or she is medically well and there are no underlying issues for which he or she may need help for. Indeed, medical professionals would like to examine you for the same reasons.
“Please, get in contact any way you would like to. We are here and ready to help you.” Anyone with information is urged to contact 101 immediately."
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