A missing aristocrat and her lover have been located in Brighton and arrested – but their baby remains missing and an ‘urgent search operation’ is underway.
Police said that shortly before 9.30pm on Monday, 27 February, a member of the public reported a sighting of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon in Stanmer Villas, Brighton.
Officers from Sussex Police attended the location and the pair were arrested. They remain in custody.
Metropolitan Police said an urgent search operation is underway to find their baby, who has not had any medical attention since birth in early January.
Marten, 35, and 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.
Police said that shortly before 9.30pm on Monday, 27 February, a member of the public reported a sighting of Constance Marten (pictured) and Mark Gordon in Stanmer Villas, Brighton
Officers from Sussex Police attended the location and the pair were arrested. They remain in custody. Pictured: Mark Gordon
Metropolitan Police said an urgent search operation is underway to find their baby, who has not had any medical attention since birth in early January
Authorities previously believed the couple had been sleeping rough in a blue tent, and had avoided being traced by the police by moving around frequently and keeping their faces covered in CCTV images.
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.
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 have led an isolated life, and in September, when Miss Marten was well into her pregnancy, began moving around rental flats.
It is unknown if their baby was full-term or has any health issues.
The mother of the missing aristocrat previously issued an emotional open letter to her daughter.
Virginie de Selliers pledged to stand by Marten, 35, and her grandchild, telling her: ‘You are not alone in this situation. We will support you in whatever way we can.’
Police searching for the aristocrat missing with her rapist boyfriend and their newborn were offering a £10,000 reward to find them.
The investigation to find the couple started when officers were called to a car on fire on the hard-shoulder of the M61, near junction four (Farnworth, Bolton) at 18:33hrs on Thursday, 5 January. However, the occupants were not at the scene.
Enquiries revealed that Constance and Mark were the occupants of the car and that Constance had very recently given birth, possibly one or two days before, and had not been assessed by medical professionals.
January 5: The couple’s car broke down on the M61 near Bolton and they were seen walking to the Anchor Lane bridge at around 6:30pm
January 7: CCTV footage shows Marten and Gordon on Whitechapel Road in London
January 7: Marten was spotted outside Harwich Port at 9am and later Colchester
January 7: Constance Marten and Mark Gordon outside East Ham station at around 11.45am
Last sighting: Marten and Gordon were last spotted on Avis Road, Newhaven
A map shows previous sightings of the couple who went missing on January 5
A missing persons investigation was launched by Greater Manchester Police, who established that the family left the vehicle and the motorway safely – walking to the Anchor Lane bridge which links the Highfield and Little Hulton areas.
Officers believe they then travelled to Liverpool and then onwards to Harwich via a taxi at about 03:30hrs on Friday, 6 January.
Mark, Constance and a baby were seen by a member of the public in Harwich at about 09:00hrs on Saturday, 7 January. Officers also received a number of confirmed sightings of the family in Colchester on Friday, 6 January and Saturday, 7 January.
Subsequently, the investigation was handed over to Essex Police on Monday, 9 January.
Essex Police carried out a number of enquiries and reviewed hours of CCTV and were able to place the couple near East Ham Station between 10:30hrs and 12:30hrs on Saturday, 7 January. As this was the last confirmed sighting of the family at the time, the investigation was handed over to the Metropolitan Police Service on Thursday, 12 January.
Detectives then established that they took a taxi from East Ham, being dropped off in Whitechapel Road at 18:14hrs on Saturday, 7 January.
The couple are seen leaving the taxi with an orange carrier bag and a pram. They both have their heads and faces covered and Mark is wearing white plastic bags on his shoes, which he removes a short time later.
At 18:19hrs 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.
They spent the next few hours walking along the Whitechapel Road area, where they tried to flag down three taxis but were refused. They then walked to the Brick Lane area.
At about 23:46hrs on Saturday, January 7, they then went to Flower and Dean Walk near Brick Lane where they dumped a number of items, including the pushchair. They then got a taxi to Haringey.
At 01:24hrs on Sunday, January 8, they then got in another taxi in Allison Road, Haringey, and travelled to Newhaven, where they were dropped off just outside the port at 04:56hrs.
Anyone who may be able to assist in the search for the couple’s baby is urged to contact 999.
A Met Police spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘There’s a huge search operation going on at the moment. There are no further details.’
This is a breaking story and is being updated.
Read More: Missing aristocrat Constance Marten and lover are located
