Constance Marten: When did couple go missing, when was baby born and what are police doing?

Police are now offering a £10,000 reward for help tracking down the missing couple Constance Marten and Mark Gordon and their newborn baby.

Detectives have said they are “extremely concerned” about the infant’s wellbeing.

The family have been missing for almost a month, and are thought to have been sleeping in a tent in sub-zero temperatures.

But what is the timeline of Constance’s disappearance?

When did Constance Marten go missing?

Inquiries began when police were called to a car on fire on the hard-shoulder of the M61.

They were alerted near junction four, at Bolton, at just after 6.30pm on Thursday, January 5.

But the occupants of the car were not at the scene, and most of the belongings inside were destroyed by fire.

When did Constance Marten give birth?

Officers established Constance, 35, and her partner, Mark Gordon, 48, were inside the vehicle.

They believe Constance had given birth, possibly as little as just one or two days before, and that she and the baby had not been assessed by any medical professionals.

Where did Constance Marten go next?

Greater Manchester Police then launched a missing persons investigation.

They established the family left the vehicle and the motorway safely and walked to the Anchor Lane bridge.

Officers believe they travelled to Liverpool and then Harwich via taxi at around 3.30am.

Have there been any sightings of Constance Marten?

Constance, Mark and a baby were spotted in Harwich by a member of the public at about 9am on Saturday, January 7.

There were also confirmed sightings of the family in Colchester on January 6 and 7 - so Essex Police then took over the investigation.

Officers then found CCTV footage of the couple near East Ham Station in the morning of Saturday, January 7, and handed enquiries over to London’s Met Police.

Where are Constance Marten and her baby sleeping?

Met Police detectives traced the couple travelled to Whitechapel Road by taxi, and were dropped off with a pram and an orange carrier bag at 6.14pm.

Both adults had their heads and faces covered and Mark had plastic bags on his shoes.

He went into Argos, where he paid in cash for a blue two-man tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows.

It sparked fears the family is camping, during temperatures which plummeted below zero.

Where were Constance Marten, Mark Gordon and the baby last seen?

The pair spent a few hours trying to flag a taxi in Whitechapel, before walking to Brick Lane.

At about 11.46pm on Saturday, January 7, they went to Flower and Dean Walk near Brick Lane where they dumped a number of items, including the pushchair.

They then got a taxi to Haringey and at 1.24am on Sunday, January 8, they then got another taxi in Allison Road, Haringey, and travelled to Newhaven.

The car dropped them off just outside the port at 4.56am.

This is the last official sighting of the family.

What have the Met Police said?

Det Supt Lewis Basford said: “We continue to be extremely concerned about the health and wellbeing of the newborn baby, which has had no medical care and has been on the move, and possibly exposed to sub-zero temperatures, for almost a month now.

“We’re also concerned for the welfare of Constance and Mark, because our enquiries suggest that they were constantly moving and awake for at least a few days – which must be especially draining on someone who had recently given birth with no medical attention.

“Finding the baby is our top priority and we are now offering a £10,000 reward to anyone who provides information which leads to them being found.”

He added: “Maybe you have been reluctant to come forward before, for whatever reason, with key information to help us find the family.

“It does not matter why you did not speak to us earlier, what matters is doing the right thing now for the good of a vulnerable newborn baby.

“Maybe you saw them wandering the streets? Perhaps they asked you for directions? Maybe they got into your taxi, or they came into your establishment to buy food and drink?

Please contact us with any information you have, because every single bit of information we get will assist us with finding them.

“I’d like to stress that if you have taken cash to provide a service to the family, whether that’s giving them a lift, accommodation or something else, that you are not in any sort of trouble, we just need to hear from you.”

Anyone who has information on the family’s whereabouts should call the incident room on 020 7175 0785. Information can be reported 100% anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They never ask for personal details and they do not trace your device.