The search for a mother and her newborn son reached its 40th day today. Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were traveling in a car which was found on fire on the shoulder of the M61.

The mother, who belongs to a wealthy land-owning family with ties to the Royal Family, disappeared with her newborn baby and her partner in sex crimes, Mark Gordon, on January 5. The couple abandoned their burning vehicle after it broke down near Motorway Junction 4 at Farnworth in Bolton. The car, purchased six days earlier, was discovered at 6:33 p.m. that day.

Missing aristocrat Constance may have given birth in the back of the car that was abandoned, the Manchester Evening News previously reported. MEN sources connected to the investigation say firefighters found a placenta in the back seat of the couple’s charred vehicle. Police reportedly believe the baby was born in the car a day or two before the family went missing.

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It is now believed that the family may be camping in the Sussex countryside. The last known sighting of them was on Sunday, January 8.

Serious concerns remain as neither Constance, 35, nor the baby have seen a doctor. The family has no luggage as most of their belongings were destroyed in the fire, but Constance is believed to have access to substantial resources.

Gordon, 48, is a convicted sex offender. His conviction relates to an attack in Florida on a woman in her early 20s when he was 14 and was serving 20 years in a US prison for rape and assault. Constance’s estranged father, Napier Martin, who was a page to the late queen, has asked via The Independent that his daughter tell police where she is “as soon as possible”.

Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford of the Metropolitan Police has renewed a call for information. He said: “Previous appeals have resulted in around 300 calls from members of the public, but sadly they have not led to the couple and their baby being found.

“While we are very grateful to everyone who has already called, we still need to hear from anyone who has seen the couple since Sunday 8th January and we are offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information leading to the family being found. .

“I appeal in particular to people who may have spent time in the countryside near Newhaven and elsewhere in Sussex to think carefully about whether they may have seen Constance and Mark in the last four weeks. Given how much time has passed, they may have continued to travel, so I also need to know of anyone who may have seen them further afield.

“For a month Mark, Constance and their newborn have been continuously on the move in sub-zero temperatures without medical attention and we are increasingly concerned for their well-being. We know the baby was still alive on January 8th and finding the baby continues. being our top priority.”

The family took a taxi from Little Hulton, Salford, to Liverpool and then continued on to Harwich, where they were spotted. They were also seen in Colchester on January 7. and later that day at East Ham station in London.

At 6:19pm, Mark walked into Argos on Whitechapel Road, E1, and bought two large bags full of items, paying cash, including a two-person blue tent, two sleeping bags and two pillows, raising fears. that they had been camping, even as the temperature plummeted to below freezing.

Detectives have traced the family to Newhaven in East Sussex. They were dropped off in a taxi at 04:56 on Sunday, January 8 just outside the entrance to the port. They then walked to the junction of the A259 with the B2109. They were seen sheltering from the rain, under the overpass, around 6 in the morning.

At about 6:15 a.m. on Sunday, January 8, they walked up Cantercrow Hill towards the fields beyond. They were carrying several bags and their blue tent, and officers believe they have been camping in the area subsequently, though given the time that has passed, they may have moved a considerable distance.

However, they were no longer in possession of the pram they had previously been seen with after it was dumped in Flower and Dean Walk, E1, at 11:46 p.m. on Saturday 7 January.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the family is asked to call the incident room on 020 7175 0785.

Alternatively, information can be reported 100 percent anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They never ask for personal details and don’t track your device.