Police have expressed concerns for runaway aristocrat Constance Marten, her rapist boyfriend and their newborn baby as officers believe they have been sleeping in a tent in sub-zero temperatures.
The Metropolitan Police have released new CCTV images of the pair who were seen purchasing a tent at Argos in Whitechapel, east London, on 7 January just two days after they went missing near Bolton.
A spokesperson said: “Mark went in alone and bought two big bags full of items, paying in cash, including a blue two-man tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows. He left the store at 6.40pm on 7 January.
“They then spent slightly more than three hours walking around the Whitechapel Road area. They tried to flag down three black cabs, but were refused.
Officers said the pair left the area on foot and were seen walking along Brick Lane towards Bethnal Green Road at 10.01pm. The police said Mark was often seen walking ahead of Constance and the baby, in what is the last official sighting of the family.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who is leading the investigation, said: “We are extremely concerned that a newborn baby – less than a week old at the time on 7 January – has been exposed to sub-freezing cold temperatures if Mark and Constance have been camping out somewhere as our evidence suggests.
“No child, especially a tiny, newborn baby, should be forced to endure such dangerous, potentially life-threatening, conditions.
“This is why it is absolutely vital that anyone with information about their whereabouts contacts us as a matter of urgency – whether it is with a recent or older sighting. Every piece of information is crucial to enabling us to find the baby and ensure it is okay.
“My officers will continue working tirelessly behind the scenes to piece together the family’s movements and current whereabouts. It could be that they are trying to blend in with homeless communities, either here in London or further afield, or they could be camping in more rural or wooded areas.
"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.”
The couple is understood to have lived an isolated life since meeting in 2016, with Ms Marten cutting off ties with family and friends.
Birmingham-born Mark Gordon, who is 13 years older than Ms Marten, was jailed in the late 1980s in Florida, US, after raping and assaulting a woman in her early 20s when he was 14. After serving a 20-year sentence he was deported back to the UK in 2010.
The Independent revealed the full extent of the 48-year-old’s attacks in the US before he returned to the UK, which involved him arming himself with garden shears and holding a woman hostage for more than four hours.
Police officers are desperately trying to find the trio after their car burst into flames on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 5 January.
There has been no medical contact before or after Ms Marten’s pregnancy, and police believe the child may have been born in the vehicle.
The pair are understood to be in possession of a substantial amount of money, with their taxi journeys being paid in cash amounting to several hundreds of pounds.
Following the escape from the car on 5 January, the pair walked to Anchor Lane bridge and hailed a taxi to Liverpool before taking another taxi to Harwich in Essex arriving just after midnight on 6 January.
Further sightings put the pair in Colchester with further inquiries revealing they took a taxi to East Ham station. This is the location of their last confirmed sighting on Saturday 7 January between 10.30am and 12.30pm.
Police said they could now be anywhere in the UK and are “demonstrating awareness of evasion from authorities”.
More than 100 officers are involved in the investigation with teams analysing more than 223 CCTV hours with assistance from the National Crime Agency.
The couple is connected to Wales, Leeds, Sheffield and Bolton and the last place they lived was in the north England area dating back to September where they stayed in Air BnBs for one to two nights.
Napier Marten, the aristocratic father of Constance issued an appeal to his estranged daughter via The Independent.
Appealing to his daughter, Mr Marten said: “I want you to understand that you are much much loved whatever the circumstances. We are deeply concerned for your and your baby’s welfare”.
Mr Marten, 63, told The Independent he had known about Gordon’s criminal conviction for some time and had lived with the family “in great concern”.
He said: “Darling Constance even though we remain estranged at the moment, I stand by, as I have always done and as the family has always done, to do whatever is necessary for your safe return to us.
“I beseech you to find a way to turn yourself and your wee one in to the police as soon as possible, so you and he or she can be protected. Only then can a process of healing and recovery begin, however long it may take, however difficult it may be.”
