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Police have found a body in their search for the missing baby of aristocrat Constance Marten and her lover Mark Gordon.
The remains of a newborn were found in a wooded area near where the couple were arrested in Brighton on Monday night.
Speaking at a press conference outside Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes tonight, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford told reporters: ‘It is my very sad duty to update this afternoon, Police officers searching an area wooded area near where Constance and Mark Gordon were arrested, they discovered the remains of a baby.
A post mortem examination will be carried out in due course. There is a crime scene at the location and work on the location is expected to continue for some time.
“This is an outcome that I myself and many officers who have been part of this search hoped would not happen.
Constance Marten (pictured with her baby) remains in custody after remains were found near where she and her boyfriend were arrested.
Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford gave the update outside Sussex Police headquarters tonight.
“I recognize the impact this news will have on many people who have been following this story closely and I can assure you that we will do everything possible to establish what happened.”
Superintendent Basford also confirmed that police have been given an additional 36 hours to question the couple today.
Sussex Police Chief Superintendent James Collis said the announcement will be “heartbreaking” for the local community.
Speaking at the press conference, he added: “Firstly I would like to express my sincere condolences on behalf of Sussex Police to the baby’s wider family at this time.”
“I understand that the conclusion of this search will be heartbreaking for the local community and general public who have been affected and who have supported this search and investigation from the beginning.
‘I would like to thank the public again, including the member of the public whose information led to the arrests, the large number of people who came forward with information, and those who volunteered to assist with the searches.
“We continue to support the Metropolitan Police as they carry out their investigation and also the wider community as we all come to terms with this tragedy.”
Marten, 35, or Gordon, 48, were arrested in Brighton around 9:30pm on Monday after 54 days of searching for the pair.
It comes as hundreds of police and London Search and Rescue volunteers have been meticulously combing “a vast area of about 90 square miles”.
Superintendent Basford described the search operation today as “enormously difficult and time-consuming”, adding that officers “must consider that the baby has been seriously harmed”.
It comes as an abandoned sleeping bag, tents and several campsites and shelters were discovered in the woods near the area being searched by police.
The discovery was made in a belt of woodland that borders the southeast corner of Wild Park, an area where the police search is understood to have yet to reach.
The woodland, located within the 240-hectare nature reserve, is on the direct off-road pedestrian route between Newhaven and Fiveways, the area of Brighton where the couple were arrested Monday night.
Marten and Gordon were initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect, before being arrested again the next day on suspicion of grossly negligent homicide.
The size of the area being searched suggests that neither Marten, 35, nor Gordon, 48, have revealed the newborn’s location during the interview following their arrests on Monday.
Mark Gordon, 48, and Constance Marten, 35, had been missing for the past 54 days, sleeping rough. They refuse to tell the police where their baby is
Superintendent Basford earlier said it was possible the baby was “harmed” because the couple had refused to disclose its location despite being questioned over a “significant period of time”.
He added: ‘This is an enormously difficult and painstaking search operation, covering a vast area of about 90 square miles. We are using all the resources at our disposal to find the baby.
The officer also urged the public to remain vigilant and continue to provide information to police.
Today, a search dog van was seen entering Golf Drive, which leads to allotments that have been the focus of the police search.
Several marked police vehicles were parked along the street and a uniformed officer stood guard at the end of the street.
More than 200 officers have been searching for the baby, from where the couple was last seen to where they were arrested, including allotments and woods.
The search used a helicopter, tracking dogs, thermal imaging cameras and drones.
A sleeping bag, tents and several abandoned camps and shelters were discovered today.
The discovery was made today in a belt of forests that borders the southeast corner of Wild Park.
A police search team works in a wooded area as they continue to search for a missing baby today.
The couple’s arrest came after a member of the public, who had seen media reports about the couple, called 999 after seeing them withdraw cash from a convenience store in the city’s Hollingbury Place shortly before 9:30 p.m. Monday.
The police then arrested them within six minutes of being tipped off.
The couple were heard arguing as they walked through Stanmer Villas just before their arrest, exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline showed.
Marten was apparently in tears when officers pounced on adjoining Golf Drive and yelled at them to “put down” her lover as he was restrained, saying she was concerned for his mental health.
A witness claimed that he struggled and it took 40 minutes to be subdued. Another said that he was very angry and was yelling.
The search for Marten and Gordon began on January 5 when their car was found burning alongside the M61 in Bolton.
Investigations revealed that Marten had recently given birth, possibly a day or two before the incident, and had not been evaluated by medical professionals.
Greater Manchester Police established that they had safely left the car and motorway.
They used taxis to travel first to Liverpool, then to Harwich in Essex and then east to London, before arriving in Sussex on January 8.
The couple avoided detection by paying cash only, hiding their faces on security cameras and often moving around at night or in the early morning hours.
Police search teams examine a pile of burned items during the search for Constance Marten’s baby.
At the start of each section of their searches, an officer would yell, ‘Are we ready? Look behind you and let’s go before they file in, sweeping the area.
Members of the Search and Rescue London charity today joined the search for the missing baby in Brighton.
Basford said officers are investigating footage shared online of Gordon seen with a stick before he was arrested, adding there was enough intelligence to suggest the couple had spent most of their time in open spaces outdoors while avoiding the crowd. police.
He admitted that the cold weather meant detectives had to be open to the investigation not “ending the way we would like it to”.
The couple have been sleeping outdoors in sub-zero temperatures for most of the time.
Marten, who comes from a wealthy aristocratic family, was a promising drama student when she met Gordon in 2016.
Since then the couple have led an isolated life and in September, as Marten’s pregnancy progressed, they began to move around rented apartments.
Anyone who can help in the search for the baby is urged to contact 999.