Constance Marten: Missing couple and baby thought to be camping in Sussex
- Published
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were last seen in East Sussex on January 8
A missing couple and their newborn baby are believed to be camping in the East Sussex countryside, the Metropolitan Police has said.
Constance Marten, her partner Mark Gordon, 48 - a convicted sex offender - and their four-week-old baby have been missing for the last month.
Police said their concern "continues to grow" and that finding the baby "remains our top priority".
Ms Marten and the baby are not thought to have received medical attention.
The 35-year-old is said to have lived an isolated life with her boyfriend since they met in 2016.
Police have asked people in Newhaven to "think carefully" about whether they have seen the family recently, with this one of the last places the couple are known to have been.
The baby was less than a week old when the family arrived at the East Sussex port by taxi just before 05:00 GMT on 8 January.
Police say the couple left their home in Eltham, south-east London, in September 2022 when Ms Marten began showing signs of pregnancy, and have since led a nomadic lifestyle.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: "While we are very grateful to everyone who has already called, we still need to hear from anyone who has seen the couple since Sunday, 8 January and we are offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information that leads to the family being found.
"I am appealing in particular to people who may have spent time in the countryside near Newhaven and elsewhere in Sussex to think carefully as to whether they may have seen Constance and Mark over the past four weeks."
He added that given the time that's passed" the pair may have travelled on.
"I also need to hear from anyone who may have seen them further afield," Det Supt Basford said.
Around 300 calls to police have been made about the case but "sadly they have not led to the couple and the baby being found," he added.
As Ms Marten gave birth only a day or two before she went missing without medical assistance and is believed to have been sleeping rough since, police said that finding the baby "remains our top priority".
Appealing to the public, Det Supt Basford said: "Maybe you have information but were reluctant to come forward to help us find the family. It does not matter why you did not speak to us earlier, what matters is doing the right thing now for the good of this highly vulnerable infant."
Police also appealed directly to the family, and asked them "please pick up the phone and let us know, at the very least, that you're okay".
"Constance and Mark, your baby has spent the first month of its short life exposed to the elements when it should be safe and warm and, most importantly, seen by medics.
"After a month you must be running low on cash. Please pick up the phone and let us know, at the very least, that you are okay. We are ready to come to you and see that you and the baby get medical attention."
The family were picked up by CCTV on Whitechapel Road in London on 7 January
The investigation to find the family began when the couple's car was found on fire by the side of the M61 near Bolton on 5 January.
Police soon discovered that many of the their belongings were destroyed in the blaze.
It then came to light that the couple had abandoned the car when it broke down and took a taxi to Liverpool, and from there to Harwich in Essex.
Since then they have been seen in east London, before travelling to north London and then on to Newhaven, East Sussex.
When the couple were last spotted, they were seen carrying a blue two-man tent, sleeping bags and pillows they had purchased from Argos the previous evening, and are believed to have been sleeping rough since.
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