Marten case police believe baby ‘dead for some time’

Police questioning Constance Marten and Mark Gordon say they believe the baby whose remains were found in woodland may have been dead “for some time”.

They said there are “many unanswered questions” and have not yet been able to confirm the baby’s sex.

Ms Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and remain in custody.

The case has now been referred to the police watchdog.

A post-mortem examination has not yet been carried out and police have not formally established the child’s identity.

Ms Marten and Gordon – a convicted sex offender – were detained in Brighton on Monday after a 53-day search, which began when their car was found on fire by the side of a motorway near Bolton on 5 January.

The remains of a baby were found on Wednesday in woodlands near to where the couple was arrested, following a massive search involving hundreds of officers.

Det Supt Lewis Basford from the Metropolitan Police said the case would be looked at by the Independent Office for Police Conduct because the baby had died during the missing persons investigation.

Investigators need “time and space to establish more details about the circumstances of this tragic death”, he said.

He added it was “too early to provide a specific date” for when the baby may have died, and said investigators were “truly devastated by this outcome”.

Police were granted an extra 36 hours to question the couple on Wednesday afternoon.

The fingertip search for the baby was conducted in near-freezing temperatures. It extended east of Brighton to Newhaven, north of the town centre into a nature reserve and beyond to the South Downs.

Witnesses told the BBC they had seen teams searching through thick bramble, allotments and bins, while people living in the area were told to look out for anything unusual.

Officers were seen earlier on Thursday scouring the area close to where the remains were found.

Police vans and a forensic tent were stationed on a residential street, close to a wooded area popular with dog walkers which was closed off as part of the investigation.

Ch Supt James Collis, of Sussex Police, said operations around Brighton would be scaled back as the investigation had reached a “new phase”.

Floral tributes have been left by people living in the area, who police said had “overwhelmed” them with support and offers of help.

Ms Marten and Gordon’s disappearance triggered a national search and there were reported sightings in Liverpool, Essex and London, mostly limited to brief snatches of CCTV footage.

Police believe they were sleeping outdoors in a tent and living off-grid, which prompted fears for the health of the child in winter temperatures.

The last confirmed sighting of the couple prior to their arrest was in Newhaven on 8 January. Their baby was with them and alive at that time, police said previously.

Ms Marten is from a privileged background and lived in a stately home growing up. She became estranged from her family in 2016 after meeting Gordon at drama school.