Constance Marten and Mark Gordon: Timeline of couple’s disappearance
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were missing for seven weeks
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An aristocrat’s daughter and her partner have been charged with the gross negligence manslaughter of their baby after being arrested in Brighton.
Constance Marten, 35, and her boyfriend Mark Gordon, 48, were located by officers from Sussex Police in Stanmer Villas, Brighton, on Monday night after a member of the public reported seeing them shortly before 9.30pm.
The remains of a baby were found on Wednesday after a major two-day search operation in Sussex.
The pair, who had been travelling around the UK by taxi since their car was found burning on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on 5 January, has also been charged with concealing a birth and perverting the course of justice.
If you have any information about Constance or Mark, please email thomas.kingsley@independent.co.uk
Scotland Yard received around 300 calls in the operation to find the pair and a £10,000 reward was offered for information that led to them being found safe.
Timeline of the couple’s disappearance:
Thursday, 5 January - M61 near Bolton
Just after 6.30pm on Thursday, 5 January officers from Greater Manchester Police were called to a car on fire on the hard shoulder of the M61 near junction four at Farnworth, Bolton.
Ms Marten and Gordon were not at the scene with officers believing they left on foot. Most of their belongings were destroyed in the fire.
Friday, 6 January - Liverpool
After establishing the identity of the car owners, Greater Manchester Police launched a missing persons investigation.
Their initial enquiries revealed the pair walked to the Anchor Lane bridge which links the Highfield and Little Hulton areas. They then hailed a taxi and travelled an hour for more than 30 miles to Liverpool.
Moving at pace, they hailed another taxi and travelled more than 200 miles from Liverpool to Harwich around 3.30am on Friday, 6 January.
Saturday, 7 January - Harwich
The trio were seen by a member of the public in Harwich at about 9am on Saturday, 7 January. Officers also received a number of confirmed sightings of the family in Colchester on Friday, 6 January and Saturday, 7 January.
The investigation was handed over to Essex Police on Monday, 9 January.
Saturday, 7 January - East London
Essex Police carried out a number of enquiries and reviewed hours of CCTV and were able to place the couple near East Ham Station between 10.30am and 12.30pm on Saturday, 7 January.
As this was the last confirmed sighting of the family, the investigation was handed over to the Metropolitan Police Service on Thursday, 12 January.
Detectives have since established that the couple took a taxi from East Ham, being dropped off in Whitechapel Road at 6:14pm.
They left the taxi with an orange bag and a pram and kept their faces covered. At 6.19pm Gordon purchased a blue two-man tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows, from an Argos on Whitechapel Road.
At 11.46pm they got a taxi to Haringey.
Sunday, 8 January
After getting a taxi late on Saturday night to Haringey, the couple then got in another taxi on Allison Road, Haringey, that took them to Newhaven, East Sussex, where they were dropped off outside the port at 4.56am.
They walked to where the A259 crosses over the B2109 and were later seen sheltering under an overpass at around 6am.
At around 6.15am they walked along Cantercrow Hill into the fields beyond.
Thursday, 19 January
Ms Marten’s father, Napier Marten, appeals through The Independent newspaper for his daughter to get in touch in, saying: “I want you to understand that you are much much loved whatever the circumstances.”
Tuesday, 31 January
A £10,000 reward is offered by the Metropolitan Police for information leading to the family being found safe.
Tuesday, 7 February
Ms Marten’s mother Virginie de Selliers publishes an open letter to her daughter, pledging to support her and telling her “you are not alone”.
Tuesday, 21 February 21
The Metropolitan Police make the latest in a number of public appeals to find the family, including a plea from midwife Shereen Nimmo to MS Marten to get her baby medical attention.
Monday, 27 February - Brighton
The couple is located by officers from Sussex Police in Stanmer Villas, Brighton, after a member of the public reported seeing them shortly before 9.30pm.
The pair were arrested in Brighton and taken into police custody. Their baby is still missing and an urgent search operation is underway to find the infant.
Wednesday, 1 March
Police say they have found the body of a baby. Detectives described the news as “heartbreaking for the community” and thanked members of the public who offered information.
A massive search was undertaken over 96 sq miles around the Brighton area for two days, leading to the discovery.
Thursday, 2 March
Police say they believe the baby “may have been dead for some time” and are unable to confirm its gender.
The couple is charged with gross negligence manslaughter, concealing a birth and perverting the course of justice.
Barry Hughes, chief crown prosecutor for CPS London North, said: “These charges arise from their arrest on Monday as a result of a lengthy police investigation to establish their whereabouts and that of their baby.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Constance Marten and Mark Gordon are active and that they have the right to a fair trial.”
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