Police have found a body in the search for the missing baby of aristocrat Constance Marten and her lover Mark Gordon.
The remains of a newborn were found in a woodland area close to where the couple were arrested in Brighton on Monday night.
Speaking at a press conference outside Sussex Police’s headquarters in Lewes this evening, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford told reporters: ‘It is my very sad duty to update this afternoon, police officers searching a wooded area close to where Constance and Mark Gordon were arrested, discovered the remains of a baby.
‘A post mortem examination will be held in due course. A crime scene is in place and work at the location is expected to continue for some time.
‘This is an outcome that myself and that many officers who have been part of this search had hoped would not happen.
Constance Marten (pictured with her baby) remains in custody after remains were found close to where she and her boyfriend were arrested
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford gave the update outside Sussex Police’s headquarters this evening
‘I recognize the impact this news will have on many people who have been following this story closely and can assure them that we will do everything we possibly can to establish what has happened.’
Supt Basford also confirmed that police have been granted an additional 36 hours to quiz the couple today.
Chief Superintendent James Collis, from Sussex Police, said the announcement will be ‘heartbreaking’ for the local community.
Speaking at the press conference, he added: ‘I would first and foremost like to extend my heartfelt condolences on behalf of Sussex Police to the wider family of the baby at this time.
‘I understand that the conclusion of this search will be heartbreaking for the local community and the wider public who have been impacted by and so supportive of this search and the investigation from the outset.
‘I would like to thank again the public, including the member of public whose information led to the arrests, the huge number of people who came forward with information and those that have volunteered to assist with the searches.
‘We continue to support the Metropolitan Police as they conduct their investigation and also the wider community as we all come to terms with this tragedy.’
Marten, 35, or Gordon, 48, were arrested in Brighton at around 9.30pm on Monday following a 54-day search for the couple.
It comes as hundreds of police officers and volunteers from London Search and Rescue have been meticulously combing ‘a vast area of some 90 square miles’.
Supt Basford had earlier today described the search operation as ‘hugely difficult and painstaking’, adding that officers ‘must consider that the baby has come to serious harm’.
It comes as an abandoned sleeping bag, tents and several rough camps and shelters were discovered in woodland close to the area being searched by police.
The discovery was made in a belt of woodland bordering the south east corner of Wild Park – an area it is understood the police search has not yet reached.
The woodland, located within the 240-hectare nature reserve, lies on the direct off-road foot route between Newhaven and Fiveways, the area of Brighton where the couple were arrested on Monday evening.
Marten and Gordon were initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect, before being re-arrested the following day on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The size of the area being scouring suggests neither Marten, 35, or Gordon, 48, has disclosed the newborn’s location under interview following their arrests on Monday
Mark Gordon, 48, and Constance Marten, 35, had been missing for the past 54 days, sleeping rough. They are refusing to tell police where their baby is
Det Supt Basford earlier said it was possible the baby had ‘come to harm’ because the couple had refused to reveal its location despite being questioned for a ‘significant period of time’.
He added: ‘This is a hugely difficult and painstaking search operation, covering a vast area of some 90 square miles. We’re using every resource we have at our disposal to find the baby.’
The officer also urged the public to remain vigilant and continue providing information to police.
Today, a search dog van was seen making its way into Golf Drive, which leads to the allotments that have been a focus of the police search.
A number of marked police vehicles were stationed along the street and a uniformed officer stood guard at the bottom of the road.
More than 200 officers have been searching for the baby, from where the couple were last sighted to where they were arrested, including allotments and woodland.
A helicopter, sniffer dogs, thermal imaging cameras and drones were all being used in the search.
An abandoned sleeping bag, tents and several rough camps and shelters were discovered today
The discovery was made in a belt of woodland bordering the south east corner of Wild Park today
A police search team works through a woodland area as they continue to search for a missing baby today
The couple’s arrest came after a member of the public, who had seen media reports about the pair, phoned 999 after seeing them withdraw cash from a convenience store in the city’s Hollingbury Place shortly before 9.30pm on Monday.
Police then arrested them within six minutes of the tip-off.
The couple were heard having a row as they walked along Stanmer Villas just before their arrest, exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline showed.
Marten was apparently tearful when officers swooped on adjoining Golf Drive and yelled at officers to ‘get off’ her lover when he was restrained, saying she was worried about his mental health.
One witness claimed he struggled and took 40 minutes to be subdued. Another said he was very angry and was shouting.
The search for Marten and Gordon began on January 5 when their car was found on fire abandoned next to the M61 in Bolton.
Inquiries revealed Marten had given birth recently, possibly one or two days before the incident, and had not been assessed by medical professionals.
Greater Manchester Police established they had left the car and motorway safely.
They used taxis to first travel to Liverpool, then Harwich in Essex, and on to east London, before arriving in Sussex on January 8.
The couple avoided detection by only making payments in cash, hiding their faces on CCTV and often moving around at night or in the early hours of the morning.
Police search teams examine a pile of burnt items during their search for Constance Marten’s baby
At the start of each section of their searches, one officer shouted: ‘Are we ready? Look behind you, and let’s get going’ before they walked in a line, scouring the area
Members of the Search and Rescue London charity joined the hunt for the missing baby in Brighton today
Mr Basford said officers are looking into footage shared online of Gordon seen with a stick before he was arrested, adding that there was sufficient intelligence to suggest the pair had spent most of their time in outdoor open spaces while avoiding police.
He conceded the cold weather meant detectives had to be open to the investigation not ‘ending in the way we would like’.
The couple have been sleeping rough in freezing temperatures for much of the time.
Marten, who is from a wealthy aristocratic family, was a promising drama student when she met Gordon in 2016.
Since then the pair have led an isolated life and in September, as Marten’s pregnancy progressed, began moving around rental flats.
Anyone who may be able to help in the search for the baby is urged to contact 999.
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