Runaway Couple Charged Over Baby’s Death After Gruesome Find
Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, a missing couple, faced court accused of manslaughter following the tragic death of their baby.
Baby’s Remains Discovered in Brighton
On Wednesday, search teams hunting for the couple’s two-month-old found the baby’s remains in Hollingbury, Brighton.
The grim discovery happened during a police search of a shed on a nearby allotment just days after the couple’s arrest.
Couple Arrested After Months on the Run
Marten, 35, and Gordon, 48, were snatched up on Monday night after vanishing back in January under suspicious circumstances.
Their car was found abandoned and burnt out on the M61 near Bolton on January 5. Inside, police uncovered afterbirth and a woman’s passport in Marten’s name, suggesting she had given birth in or by the vehicle shortly before it was abandoned.
After the car was found, CCTV caught the pair in Liverpool, then Essex, carrying camping gear as they evaded police. Their last confirmed sighting was on January 8 at the Sussex port of Newhaven.
Court Appearance and Charges
On Thursday night, the couple appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court. Both wore grey prison tracksuits and only confirmed their names, birthdates, and stated they had no fixed address.
They face charges of manslaughter, concealing a child’s birth, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Magistrates remanded them to appear next at the Central Criminal Court.
“The baby was wrapped in plastic bags with a pile placed on top,” the prosecutor told the court, revealing the horrific condition in which the remains were found.
