Police check every hotel in city in hunt for missing mother and baby

Police check every hotel and B&B in city as hunt for missing mother, 35, from wealthy family and her newborn child enters its sixth day

• Search for Constance Marten, 35, and her newborn baby has entered sixth day
• Mother, baby and dad Mark Gordon disappeared on Thurs after car broke down
• Police searching every hotel and B&B in Colchester – where they were last seen
• Evidence shows Miss Marten recently gave birth and raises concerns that baby needs to see doctor

A search for a missing mother and her newborn child has entered its sixth day, with every hotel and B&B in the city of Colchester being checked.

Police are concerned that Constance Marten, 35, has financial resources as she is from a wealthy, landowning family.

Miss Marten, and her partner Mark Gordon, disappeared after the car they were travelling in broke down on the M61 near Bolton, Greater Manchester, on Thursday evening, before leaving on foot with their baby boy.

The family was last seen in Colchester, with Essex Police stating that they now have a number of confirmed sightings in the city.

A search for a missing mother Constance Marten (pictured), 35, and her newborn child has entered its sixth day, with every hotel and B&B in the city of Colchester being checked

Constance Marten (left), who is missing along with her newborn baby, is descended from wealthy landowners with close links to the Royal Family. Police have issued an urgent appeal for help to find Constance Marten and the baby’s father Mark Gordon (right)

Yesterday, officers worked through the night to visit every single hotel and bed and breakfast in Colchester to establish whether the couple and their baby had recently stayed.

The search is continuing today and leaflets are being handed out to help members of the public identify Miss Marten and Mr Gordon.

It has now emerged Ms Marten is from an aristocratic landowning family in Dorset with ‘ties to the Royal Family’.

But it is understood that she has not been in close contact with them for a considerable time. 

She is the granddaughter of Mary Anna Marten, whose godmother was the late Queen Mother. The family used to own the Crichel estate in Dorset.

Miss Marten’s great-grandfather was Captain Napier Sturt, the third and final Baron Alington. Her father, Napier Marten, was a page to Queen Elizabeth, and gave up the £115 million family fortune, saying a voice in his head told him ‘to shave my head and go to Australia’.

After her car broke down on the M61 near Bolton on Thursday evening, Ms Marten is believed to have been spotted wrapped in red blanket in Harwich Port, Essex on Saturday at 9am

A map showing where Constance Marten was seen and where police are searching

The car the couple were in had only been purchased six days before they went missing.

The vehicle broke down near junction four of the M61 near at Farnworth on January 5th and that they left the motorway by walking towards Anchor Lane bridge, which links the Highfield and Little Hulton areas.

Evidence suggests that Miss Marten had only recently given birth to the couple’s child, and has not been assessed by medical professionals.

Intelligence provided by taxi drivers suggests that the couple paid cash to travel first to Liverpool and then to Essex. They later stayed at a hotel using false names. They were spotted in Harwich Port in Essex at around 9am on Saturday morning.

Amid growing concerns for their welfare, a CCTV image was released of Ms Marten wearing a red shawl near Harwich Port at 9am on January 7. Police said they were later seen in Colchester and enquiries remain ongoing.

In police statements, Mr Gordon is described as wearing dark clothing while Ms Marten is said to have a southern accent and was wearing a burgundy coat. The baby is swaddled.

Constance’s ancestors: Lt. Cdr George Marten with wife Mary and daughters Victoria, Charlotte and Georgina 

In a statement, Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston said: ‘As we have said previously, from our perspective this search is about the young child’s welfare.

‘We know some elements of the public may see police involvement as unwelcome and I would seek to assure you that we do not wish to impose ourselves for any reason other than to make sure the new-born baby is alive and well.’

He added: ‘I am a parent myself and I know the bond a mother and father have with their child, but I would appeal directly to Mark and Constance to put the welfare of their child first.

‘To you, Constance, medical professionals still need to assess your baby to make sure he or she is medically well and there are no underlying issues for which he or she may need help for. Indeed, medical professionals would like to examine you for the same reasons.

‘Please, get in contact any way you would like to. We are here and ready to help you.’ Anyone with information is urged to contact 101 immediately.’

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