Socialite Constance Marten, 35, and registered sex-offender Mark Gordon, 48, were arrested in England on Monday, according to reports, but they have not shared information on the whereabouts of their newborn baby with authorities.
An “urgent search operation” is underway for a newborn who has been missing for a month following the arrest of the baby‘s aristocrat mom and registered sex-offender dad, according to English authorities.
Constance Marten 35, and Mark Gordon, 48, were arrested for child neglect Monday night in Brighton, a city in the southern coast of England, but did not have their baby with them at the time of arrest, Sussex Police said.
Neither have revealed the location of their baby to authorities upon arrest, nor shared any information that will help authorities find the baby, police told reporters, according to The Guardian.
“We are still in a position where we still hold hope that the child is safe,” a detective with the Metropolitan Police told reporters following the arrest, adding that the search is ever more urgent as the child may be exposed to the elements, and temperatures in the Brighton area are expected to dip.
Additionally, authorities believe the baby has not received any medical attention since birth. Marten is believed to have given birth to the newborn in the backseat of a car they later left burning on the side of a motorway, according to The Independent, citing authorities.
Marten and Gordon have been on the road since September, after she first showed signs of pregnancy, BBC News reported. They were believed to be staying in Airbnbs around the U.K. and carried around a significant amount of cash in order to live off-the-grid, The Guardian reported.
Their car had broken down in Greater Manchester – located in the northeast of England – on Jan. 5, about a day or two after their baby was born, authorities said, and was later found burning on the shoulder of a motorway.
They are then believed to have traveled by various taxis across England – first arriving to Liverpool, then Harwich, then Colchester, then east London, where they were spotted on CCTV on Jan. 7. The surveillance footage captured Gordon purchasing a tent, then the pair walking through east London with a buggy covered in blankets, according to The Independent.
Marten and Gordon are believed to have been sleeping in the tent and evaded police by moving around frequently and keeping their faces covered with face masks, The Guardian reported.
“It is an immense relief to know my beloved daughter Constance has been found, tempered by the very alarming news her baby has yet to be found,” Marten’s father, Napier Marten, told The Independent.
Marten comes from a family with ties to Britain’s royal family. Her grandmother was the god-daughter to Queen Elizabeth and good friends with Princess Margaret, and her father was a page to Queen Elizabeth II.
She grew up in Crichel House, a well-known mansion located on 500 acres of land, and attended boarding school. While studying at the University of Leeds, she was featured in magazines, and eventually went on to work for news outlets Al-Jazeera and Daily Mail.
In 2016, she dropped out of a drama course she had been taking and cut of ties with her family, according to The Independent. She also began a relationship around the same time with Gordon, who hails from a significantly different background.
Gordon was born in Birmingham, England, and was a young boy when he moved to Florida with his mom and half-siblings.
When he was 15 years old, Gordon was found guilty of kidnap and sexual battery. He had broken into a woman’s bathroom window, covered his face with a pair of her stockings, and was armed with a kitchen knife when he demanded the victim to undress, The Independent reported, citing court records.
Gordon eventually spent 20 years in prison before being deported to England in 2010, according to The Independent.
Despite having once expressed concern about her relationship with Gordon, according to The Independent, Marten’s dad said, “When the time comes, I am longing to see Constance to reassure her that, whatever the weather, I love her dearly and will support her as best I can through the difficult weeks and months here on in.”
