Police have made a heartbreaking discovery in their search for the two-month-old baby of arrested couple Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. After hundreds of officers scoured a 90-square-mile area near Brighton, the remains of the infant were found close to where the couple were arrested on Monday.
Det Supt Lewis Basford from the Metropolitan Police, the force leading the investigation, said the news was an outcome that many had hoped would not happen. He assured that everything possible will be done to establish what happened. A post-mortem examination will be carried out to help detectives.
The couple had been reported missing when their car was found alight near Bolton on 5 January. This sparked a national search, with sightings as far away as Liverpool, Essex, London and East Sussex. CCTV footage showed them at numerous locations and it is believed they were sleeping outdoors in a tent and living off grid.
The last confirmed sighting of them was in Newhaven on 8 January, with their baby in tow. On Monday evening, they were arrested at a Brighton convenience store after being recognised by a member of the public. This led to an extensive search operation for the infant across a 90-square-mile site in East Sussex.
Hundreds of officers and rescue volunteers were deployed to comb through thick bramble, allotments and bins, while locals were asked to look out for anything unusual. Sniffer dogs, helicopters, drones and thermal cameras were all used in the search.
The tragic discovery of the baby’s remains has left many people deeply affected. The Metropolitan Police have promised to do all they can to uncover what happened and bring closure to this sad case.