Baby found dead in Constance Marten hunt may have 'died some ...

2 March 2023, 14:45 | Updated: 2 March 2023, 15:58

Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon dodged police for 54 days. Picture: Alamy/Social media

The baby that was found near where Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested 'may have been dead for some time', police have said.

Police searching for the missing baby of Constance Marten found an infant's remains on Wednesday near where she was arrested with her partner.

Officers also said they have been unable to confirm the gender of the baby that was found, adding that a post-mortem is yet to take place.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who has been leading the investigation, said: "My team has been working on this investigation for the past eight weeks and we have travelled across the country as part of our searches for this baby.

"We are all truly devastated by the outcome and we know this emotion is also being felt here in Brighton and across the country today.

Police have until this evening to continue questioning Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Picture: Facebook

Read More: How the 54-day hunt for missing aristocrat Constance Marten and her sex offender partner unfolded

Read more: Who is Constance Marten? Aristocrat background, children and age

"While there are still many unanswered questions it is important that we give the investigation team the time and space they need to establish more details about the circumstances of this tragic death.

"At this stage we have not yet been able to confirm the baby's gender and a post-mortem examination has not yet taken place.

"Despite this, based on the enquiries we've carried out so far, we believe, sadly, the baby had been dead for several weeks before they were found. It's too early for us to provide a more specific date.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. Picture: Met Police A police search team works through an area near a golf course as they continue to search for a missing baby. Picture: Getty

He added that the force has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct, adding that this was "standard protocol for such circumstances".

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon remain in custody. The pair were spotted by a member of the public after nearly two months on the run.

The couple had vanished from the Bolton area after their car was found alight on the motorway. They had an infant who, it was believed, had not been seen by medical professionals.

Police found most of the belongings destroyed, but Ms Marten's passport was still relatively intact. Blood and placenta were also found on the back seat, indicating Ms Marten had given birth.

They used taxis to travel across the UK, eventually emerging in London before they were finally tracked down to Brighton.

In January, it emerged that Marten is from an aristocratic family with links to the royals, although she has not been in touch with her family for some time.

Ms Marten's family were the previous owners of Crichel Estate in Dorset. Picture: Alamy

Her grandmother is Mary Anna Marten, whose godmother was the Queen Mother, meaning Constance Marten is the great-granddaughter of Captain Napier Sturt, Baron Alington.

Her father was a page to Queen Elizabeth but renounced the family's £115 million fortune, saying a voice in his head told him "to shave my head and go to Australia".

It was later reported that Ms Marten featured in society magazine Tatler when she was 21 as "Babe of the Month" and said her special skill was "crunching a Coke can between my shoulder blades".

She added that the best party she had been to was a Bacchus-themed bash thrown by one Viscount Cranbourne.