Constance Marten and Mark Gordon arrest: Search for baby continues

More than 200 constabulary officers utilizing dogs, thermal imaging cameras and drones are continuing their hunt for a missing babe arsenic fears equine the babe mightiness person travel to harm.

The parents, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, were arrested successful Brighton connected Tuesday connected suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

They had been missing for 53 days.

A hunt for them began erstwhile their car was recovered connected occurrence adjacent Bolton. Police accidental Ms Marten had precocious fixed birth.

Police said the babe whitethorn person been calved successful the backmost of the vehicle, without a midwife oregon aesculapian attention.

Ms Marten, 35, and Gordon - a convicted rapist and registered enactment offender - were held connected Monday aft a subordinate of the nationalist saw them and called the police.

They were initially held connected suspicion of kid neglect, but were further arrested connected suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

They stay successful custody, but constabulary said they had not provided immoderate further accusation astir the information oregon whereabouts of the child.

Police bash not cognize the enactment of the baby.

Allotments and a play people adjacent to a quality reserve - adjacent to wherever they were arrested - were searched connected Tuesday.

In a connection released by police connected Tuesday, Det Supt Lewis Basford urged the nationalist to assistance with the hunt and study immoderate imaginable sightings successful Brighton and Newhaven.

He said: "I'd besides inquire radical surviving successful these areas to study immoderate suspicious behaviour oregon items recovered successful their gardens, outbuildings and sheds, betwixt past and now.

"Equally if you are retired walking successful these areas and you observe thing you deliberation we should cognize about, delight don't hesitate to interaction us, nary substance however insignificant it whitethorn seem."

A car belonging to Ms Marten and Gordon, 48, was recovered connected occurrence connected the broadside of the M61 motorway successful Bolton connected 5 January.

After their car was recovered connected fire, constabulary said the household near the country and travelled to Liverpool, Essex, London and East Sussex.

They appeared to person covered their faces erstwhile successful public, travelling astatine nighttime and utilizing currency to acquisition supplies, successful bid to debar being found.

Their location is successful Eltham, successful south-east London, but they person been surviving nomadically since September past twelvemonth - erstwhile Ms Marten archetypal started to amusement signs of pregnancy.

Police person not ruled retired that idiosyncratic could beryllium looking aft the babe - though they added this was unlikely.

Det Supt Lewis Basford said the hazard to the babe - who is present thought to beryllium astir 2 months aged - accrued arsenic clip went on, peculiarly portion the upwind is cold.

He said that constabulary indispensable present "be unfastened to the information this whitethorn not extremity successful the mode we would like".

Police antecedently said Ms Marten's inherited wealthiness whitethorn person allowed the mates to stay astatine ample for an extended period.

She is from a privileged background, having lived successful a stately location increasing up.

She became estranged from her household aft gathering 48-year-old Gordon astatine play schoolhouse successful 2016.

They judge the babe was live astatine the clip of the past erstwhile sighting of the household successful Newhaven, but small much is known astir the family's movements successful the weeks since.

After the brace were recovered connected Monday, Ms Marten's estranged begetter Napier Marten told the Independent helium felt "immense relief", though this was "tempered by the precise alarming quality [her] babe has yet to beryllium found".