CCTV shows Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, who are missing with their baby, shopping in London.
A couple who disappeared with their newborn baby may be sleeping in a tent in sub-zero temperatures, police say.
Constance Marten, 35, and Mark Gordon, 48, were last seen with the infant in the Whitechapel area of east London on 7 January.
“No child, especially a tiny, new-born baby, should be forced to endure such dangerous, potentially life-threatening, conditions,” police said.
The child was less than a week old at the time of their disappearance.
When last seen, they bought camping gear in Argos before unsuccessfully trying to to flag down three black cabs.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who is leading the investigation, said it was “absolutely vital” that anyone who has seen them should contact the police.
“Every piece of information is crucial to enabling us to find the baby and ensure it is okay,” he said.
“They could be absolutely anywhere in the country. Please keep your eyes peeled, especially while you are out and about in waste ground or beauty spots, or while you’re walking the dog, and report any information, no matter how insignificant you think it is, to us.”
New CCTV footage shows the family on the night they were last seen – they walked with a baby buggy along Brick Lane towards Bethnal Green Road in London’s East End, before disappearing just after 22:00 GMT on 7 January.
Image source, Met Police
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.
Detectives do not know if the baby has been assessed by medical professionals since the child’s birth, or if the baby was born prematurely or went full term.
The infant has been missing since the parents’ car broke down and caught fire on the M61 near Bolton, on 5 January. The baby was believed to be only a day old or so at the time, and could have been born in the vehicle, according to police.
It is believed most of their belongings were destroyed in the car fire.
Image source, Met Police
Since then, Constance “Toots” Marten and Mark Gordon appear to have been avoiding police, moving to Liverpool, Harwich, Colchester and London in quick succession.
Ms Marten is from a wealthy family, and grew up in a stately home in Dorset attending private school, university and drama school.
But after meeting Gordon in 2016, she became estranged from the family, police said.
Napier Marten, Ms Marten’s father, has previously called for his daughter to “find the courage” to make contact with the police.
Gordon has been a registered sex offender in the UK since 2010, having been convicted in Florida of a rape he committed aged 14.
He served some 20 years in prison in the United States before being deported to Britain.
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