Missing baby feared dead as police arrest parents on suspicion of manslaughter

Their baby has yet to be found, and police confirmed on Tuesday that Marten and Gordon have been further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

Police are continuing to search a 91-square mile area in Brighton for the child, but Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, from the Metropolitan Police, said the risk to the infant was increasing as time goes on.

Police said they still hope to find the baby safe and well, but DS Basford added that they must “be open to the fact this may not end in the way we would like” and that the infant may have “come to harm.”

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

Search for the missing baby continues.

200+ officers searching 90+ square miles between #Brighton and #Newhaven

☎️ Any info please call 999@sussex_policehttps://t.co/xbJkw4QviM

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) February 28, 2023

Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, had been travelling around the UK by taxi since their car was found burning on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 5 January. The couple walked along the hard shoulder of the motorway, with Marten carrying their baby in her arms.

Authorities previously believed the couple had been sleeping rough, and had been dodging police by moving around frequently and keeping their faces covered from CCTV. The couple travelled from Bolton to Liverpool, then to Harwich in Essex, then to east London and then to Newhaven in Sussex, where they were seen near the ferry port on 8 January.

Police told the BBC that Tuesday’s search was covering a large area between Brighton and Newhaven, where the pair were spotted a few days ago. A helicopter, drones and police dogs are all involved in the search and residents are being urged to check sheds and other outhouses, and to report anything unusual.