The tragic case of the British aristocratic heiress and her sex offender boyfriend

For weeks, the British public has been captivated by the case of Constance Marten, a missing 35-year-old aristocratic woman who grew up in a Dorset country palace and whose family has close links to the British royal family. 

Marten became estranged from her family and entered into a relationship with Mark Gordon in 2016, a sex offender convicted of violent sexual battery and kidnapping in Broward County, Florida. Gordon spent 20 years in Florida state prison for violently raping a mother whose young children were in the next room. 

A U.K. manhunt was sparked for the missing couple and their newborn baby in early January during freezing English winter temperatures. They evaded authorities for weeks by moving around the country and blending into the homeless population. A car they had been using was abandoned and set on fire on the side of the highway. This week, the cross-country search ended with the couple being found and arrested in Brighton, on the southern coast. The remains of a baby believed to be theirs were found today near where they were located.  A post-mortem examination of the baby's corpse will take place.