How search for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon unfolded
- Published
Mark Gordon and Constance Marten have now been found and arrested in Brighton - this CCTV image shows them in London in January
The police search for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon - and their newborn baby - began in early January, after the couple's car was found burning on the side of the motorway.
Police said Ms Marten, 35, had given birth one or two days before the fire, and had not been seen by medical professionals. Gordon, her partner, is a convicted sex offender.
The couple had left their home in Eltham, south-east London, in September, after Ms Marten first showed signs of pregnancy.
After the car fire in January, the couple were on the move for a total of 53 days before being found - apparently evading police. They were arrested on 27 February.
Police said the pair would look away or cover their faces whenever they were near CCTV cameras. In the images of them that have been captured, they can often be seen wearing face masks.
Detectives also said Ms Marten was from a wealthy family, from whom she was estranged after meeting 48-year-old Gordon, and that her inherited wealth could allow the couple to live off-grid for some time.
This is what we know about the couple's movements, based on CCTV images.
CCTV still released by police of the couple's car on fire on the hard-shoulder of the M61 in Bolton on the evening of 5 January
The investigation began after a car was found on fire at around 18.30 on Thursday 5 January on the hard shoulder of the M61 near Bolton. The owners were not there, and police believe the fire had destroyed their belongings.
It was established that the car belonged to Constance Marten and Mark Gordon and that they had safely left the scene.
In the first few days after their disappearance, the pair travelled from the Bolton area to Liverpool, Essex, London and East Sussex, all in quick succession.
The couple were initially seen with carrier bags and a pushchair.
Police believe the couple first travelled to Liverpool and from there took a taxi to Harwich in Essex, arriving at about 03:30 on Friday 6 January.
A member of the public saw Marten, Gordon and a baby in Harwich at about 09:00 on Saturday 7 January. There were also several confirmed sightings of them in Colchester on 6 and 7 January.
The pair were later seen on CCTV near East Ham Station in east London between 10:30 and 12:30 on Saturday 7 January.
The couple in East Ham on CCTV
The same day, they took a taxi from East Ham to Whitechapel - another part of east London - and can be seen arriving on Whitechapel Road at around 18:15 with a pushchair and large carrier bag.
CCTV captured the couple arriving in Whitechapel by taxi on 7 January
Gordon is initially seen wearing plastic bags on his shoes, which he later removes.
CCTV of the couple walking along Whitechapel Road shortly after 6pm on 7 January
Minutes later, Gordon visits the Whitechapel Argos, where he buys camping equipment, including a blue two-person tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows. Police say this sparked fears the couple may have been camping in freezing temperatures.
CCTV image of Mark Gordon in Whitechapel with Argos bags after he bought camping gear
CCTV shows Gordon walking with the two bulky Argos bags.
Mark Gordon carrying Argos bags in East London
The couple then walked in the Whitechapel Road area for the next few hours, and tried unsuccessfully to flag down three separate taxis before walking to nearby Brick Lane.
Mark Gordon and Constance Marten on Brick Lane in east London
The couple walked to Flower and Dean Walk near Brick Lane at about 23:45, and appeared to dump various items, including the pushchair, before getting a taxi to Harringey, north London.
Mark Gordon and Constance Marten walking through Flower and Dean Walk near Brick Lane, east London, after dumping items including a pushchair
Mark Gordon and Constance Marten in Allison Road, Haringey, north London
At 01:24 on Sunday 8 January, they got in another taxi in Allison Road, Haringey, and travelled for over three hours to Newhaven in East Sussex, where they got out just outside the port at 04:56.
CCTV of Mark Gordon and Constance Marten in Newhaven (in red ring)
CCTV sighting of the couple near a petrol station on Avis Road in Newhaven, East Sussex
Just over an hour later, they were seen walking along Cantercrow Hill in Newhaven into some fields, where they were believed to have set up camp.
CCTV of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon on Cantercrow Hill in Newhaven
Following this final sighting, there were no new confirmed sightings of the couple and baby for many weeks.
They were next seen at around 21:30 on 27 February in Stanmer Villas, Brighton, around half an hour's drive from Newhaven.
The couple were found and arrested on suspicion of child neglect in Stanmer Villas on the same night, but their baby remains missing.
On 28 February they were further arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, as police said they now had to consider the possibility that the baby had "come to harm".
Police are now focusing their efforts on finding the child in an "urgent search" using helicopters, drones and police dogs.
They have been looking through an allotment and golf course on the Sussex Downs - and local people have been asked to check sheds and outhouses.
- Published28 February 2023
