Police discover dead baby near area where Constance Marten, partner were arrested

UK authorities on Wednesday said that the body of a baby was discovered in southern England's woodland area, which is close to where they had arrested aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner, who is a sex offender,earlier this week over concerns for the welfare of their child.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford of the Met’s East Area Command said, “It is my very sad duty to update that this afternoon, police officers searching a wooded area close to where Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were arrested, discovered the remains of a baby.”

“A post-mortem examination will be held in due course,” the statement added. Earlier this week, police arrested Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, after the couple went missing in early January. It was believed that the couple was travelling with a newborn.

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London’s Metropolitan Police released a statement on Tuesday in which it said that the couple had been “initially arrested on suspicion of child neglect,” but were later “further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter”.

Over 200 officers used sniffer dogs, drones, police helicopters and thermal imaging cameras to assist them on the ground as they searched for the missing baby after the couple was found and arrested in Brighton, southern England on Monday.

Basford said that they have established a crime scene around the infant remains, where they expect the work to “continue for some time”.

“This is an outcome that myself and the many officers who have been part of the search, had hoped would not happen. I recognise the impact this news will have on the many people who have been following this story closely, and can assure them that we will do everything we possibly can to establish what has happened,” he said.

The police started a search for the couple and newborn in early January as several appeals were released by them and a £10,000 ($12,090) reward was offered for providing any information that would lead to the missing couple and newborn's discovery.

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Aristocrat and film and music producer Napier Marten is the father of Marten. In an audio appeal to daughter Marten, which was published last month by UK news outlet The Independent, Napier Marten said that Constance was “much, much loved, whatever the circumstances,” adding that the family was “deeply concerned” for the welfare of the daughter and her child.

“Darling Constance, even though we remain estranged at the moment, I standby, as I have always done and as the family has always done, to do whatever is necessary for your safe return to us,” he said.

“I beseech you to find a way to turn yourself and your wee (little) one into 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,” Napier Marten added.

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