Police have released CCTV of the last sighting of a missing aristocrat who vanished more than six weeks ago with her rapist boyfriend and their newborn.
Constance Marten, 35, and her partner Mark Gordon, 48, have been travelling around the UK by taxi since their car was found burning on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on January 5.
Footage emerged today of the pair walking opposite a petrol station on Avis Road, Sussex, at 5.18am on January 8, before finally being seen walking down a road on Cantercrow Hill, Sussex, at 6.25am on the same day.
It came as the Metropolitan Police made another appeal for information and reminded people across the UK to watch out for the couple and their newborn.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: ‘They could be absolutely anywhere in the UK, so we need everyone to remain vigilant.’
This is one of the last images of aristocrat Constance Marten, 35, and her partner Mark Gordon, 48, who have been missing for more than six weeks
Footage emerged today of the pair walking opposite a petrol station (pictured) on Avis Road, Sussex, at 5.18am on January 8, before finally being seen walking down a road on Cantercrow Hill, Sussex, at 6.25am on the same day
Constance Marten (right), 35, and Mark Gordon (left), 48, went missing with their baby on January 5, more than six weeks ago
The couple were pictured on Allison Road in one of the last times they were seen. Police said: ‘Please be mindful that they might not always be out and about together’
‘When they were last sighted on January 8, they were in the possession of a blue two-man tent, so please keep your eyes peeled, especially while you are out and about in waste ground or beauty spots, or while you’re walking the dog.
‘Please be mindful that they might not always be out and about together.
‘It could be that you just see Constance or Mark out by themselves getting supplies while the other is wherever they are staying with the baby.
‘I would like to stress that we are not doing this and putting so many resources and efforts into finding the family just to be awkward or to interfere.
‘We have a genuine concern for the health and wellbeing of the baby, and Constance and Mark, and it our duty to ensure that they are okay.’
He added: ‘Information from the public has been vital to our investigation and we have received more than 350 calls to our dedicated incident room – thank you to everyone who has made contact with us so far, we are so grateful to you.
‘While sadly these calls have not yet led to the couple and their baby being found, it could take just that one call into us with the right information, at the right time, to help us find the family and make sure they are okay.’
Officers have trawled through 630 hours of CCTV already and reminded people that there is a reward of up to £10,000 for any information that leads to the family being found.
Authorities believe the couple has been sleeping rough in a blue tent, and fear for the safety of the baby who has not had any medical attention since birth in early January.
It is unknown if the baby was full-term or has any health issues, which is why officers want to find the family.
Police say the baby was last seen alive on January 8 – as detectives raised fresh fears about the newborn’s health following the recent cold weather
Shereen Nimmo, director of midwifery for Barts Health NHS Trust, said: ‘Constance, my name is Shereen and I’m here to speak to you as a midwife and a mother. I am not here to judge you but here to help you and your baby.
‘I know that you really love your baby, and I know what an exciting and worrying time being a mum can be. And I want to make sure that you and your baby are OK and get the care you need.
‘After you have a baby, midwives are there to check you are recovering physically and emotionally and adjusting to caring for your newborn.
‘We check your baby is feeding properly and putting on weight, and they have screening tests to make sure their heart, hearing, hips and eyesight all look OK.
‘We also check for some rare conditions and put care plans in place to support them if needed.
Newhaven ferry port CCTV picked up the couple on January 8, circled in red in this still
Constance Marten is missing with her rapist boyfriend and their newborn baby in the UK
‘But it’s not too late to have these checks done and to make sure your baby is healthy.
‘You’re putting your baby at risk by not accessing medical care, so it’s really important that you come and see a midwife, doctor or another healthcare professional as soon as possible.
‘Babies need a safe, warm environment and all new mums are given information about safe sleeping for their baby to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.
‘We know the safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot in the same room as you. Sleeping with your baby in an unsafe environment puts them at risk.
‘We’re worried that without access to midwifery and medical care, your baby might not be getting the best start in life that we know you want for them.
‘Please do the right thing for your baby and go to your nearest healthcare facility so my caring colleagues can take care of you and your baby. All we want to do is help you.’
The missing couple has so far avoided being traced by the police by moving around frequently and keeping their faces covered in CCTV images.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said around 50 officers are working on the case at any one time and more than 630 hours of CCTV has been viewed.
Police released this picture of Marten and Gordon outside East Ham station at around 11.45am on Saturday January 7
He said there have been more than 350 calls to police from the public with information following previous appeals.
‘All calls, I would say, have added something to the investigation,’ he said.
Mr Basford said the risk ‘only increases day by day’ when there are no further confirmed sightings, adding that he is appealing to the couple to think of the baby.
A £10,000 reward is on offer for information that leads to them being found safe.
Investigators said that in the months before they vanished they built up a significant amount of cash and used it to pay for places to stay and taxis around the country.
Mr Basford said police believe the cash would have lasted the couple well into February.
‘However we also know that to keep warm and keep under a roof and keep that baby safe that at some point they’ve had to reach out or seek some sort of lodgings away from the tent that they did use on the 8th when they were seen heading into the fields in Newhaven,’ he said.
The car the pair were driving broke down and caught fire, as seen in this picture from police released as part of the search
The detective said there are concerns that the money they have will be running out and he is calling on the couple to do ‘the right thing’ and come forward to seek the medical attention required.
He does not believe the couple are being helped by anyone at this stage.
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.
In an update earlier this month, the Metropolitan Police said they believed the family may be camping in Sussex.
But now it is thought that while there is nothing to suggest they have gone abroad, they could be anywhere in the whole of the UK.
Mr Basford said: ‘We know from their movements from the 5th to the 8th of January that they’ve been across the United Kingdom, and I think now, six weeks on, my plea to members of the public is they could be anywhere within the United Kingdom, in any town, in any city, so really it’s for everybody that’s watching this, the appeal, to just have a look, think, be visual, and any information or intelligence you may have to come forward and contact the police wherever you might be.’
Miss Marten, who is from a wealthy aristocratic family, was a promising drama student when she first met Mr Gordon in 2016.
Since then the couple has led an isolated life, and in September, when Miss Marten was well into her pregnancy, began moving around rental flats.
Gordon served 20 years in prison in the US for rape and battery committed when he was 14.
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.
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