Father of missing newborn is registered sex offender - BBC News
archived 18 Jan 2023 20:45:24 UTC
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Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have been missing since their car broke down on the M61 in Greater Manchester
"Our top priority is ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the newborn baby," Det Supt Lewis Basford, of the Metropolitan Police, said.
"We have no evidence to suggest that either Constance or the baby have been assessed by medical professionals."
Police do not even know if the child was born prematurely or went full term.
Only a day or so old at the time of the car fire, they could have been born in the vehicle, officers say.
Couple missing with newborn baby urged to contact police
The couple appear to have left their home in Eltham, south-east London, in September, when Ms Marten would have shown the first signs of pregnancy, and have since led a nomadic lifestyle, police say.
After the fire, near Farnworth, at 18:30 GMT, they walked off the motorway embankment and flagged down a taxi, which took them to Liverpool.
From there, they took another taxi to the Essex port of Harwich but there is no sign of them trying to board a ferry.
And on 7 January, they took a taxi from Harwich to East Ham, spending hundreds of pounds in fares in a couple of days.
Taxi drivers report hearing the baby in their cabs.
The last time they were spotted was that day, on CCTV, near East Ham underground station.
'Slush fund'
Thought to have lost their belongings in the fire, the couple are travelling using cash.
Ms Marten has inherited wealth, and officers say the couple are likely to have built up a "considerable slush fund" that could allow them to live off-grid for some time.
Whenever they are near CCTV cameras, they look away or cover their faces, police say.
Det Ch Insp Payne said the couple could be anywhere in the UK.
"We want to find this child - that is our overriding aim," he said.
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