Runaway couple and baby ‘camping wild in Sussex’
A MISSING aristocrat and her sexoffender partner are believed to have been camping in the Sussex countryside with their newborn baby as police appealed directly to them to get in touch.
Constance Marten, 35, who is from a wealthy family with connections to the Royal family, has lived an isolated life with her boyfriend Mark Gordon, 48, since they met in 2016.
The couple and their newborn went missing early last month and none of them have had any medical attention since then.
The force has reiterated appeals for information, saying concern for the wellbeing of all three “continues to grow”.
In an update yesterday, Met detectives said they believed the trio have been camping out in the Sussex countryside. The police service said it had received around 300 calls in the operation to find the pair and their baby, but “sadly they have not led to the couple and their baby being found”.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford said: “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 information that leads to the family being found.
Addressing the missing couple directly, he said: “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.
“Please pick up the phone and let us know that you are OK. We are ready to come to you and see that you and the baby get medical attention.”
He said: “We know that the baby was still alive on 8 January and finding the baby remains our top priority.”
The police search for the family was sparked when officers were called to a burning car on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on January 5.
It emerged 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, north London and then Newhaven, East Sussex. Anyone with information can call the incident room on 020 7175 0785 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.