Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were discovered and detained in Brighton, sparking a massive search for a missing infant.
When the couple vanished in January, it was believed that their infant was only a few days old.
The baby has not been located, but the couple has been detained by Sussex Police on suspicion of child neglect.
In a “urgent search” involving helicopters, drones, and police dogs, officers are scouring an allotment and a golf course on the Sussex Downs.
On Monday night in north Brighton’s Fiveways neighbourhood, Ms. Marten and Gordon, a convicted sex offender, were discovered after being spotted by a member of the public.
According to Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford of the Met Police, the two were heavily dressed for outdoor activity and were on their way back into a field when they were apprehended.
The search was “now all about that baby,” police declared in a direct appeal to the public.
“We are still in a position where we still hold hope that the child is safe and well,” Det Supt. Basford told reporters.
But he expressed worries about the child being outside and said the search was now a race against time.
In the Brighton region, overnight lows of 1C are anticipated.
Though they said it was unlikely, the police did not completely rule out the possibility that someone was harbouring the child.
After their car broke down on 5 January near Bolton, Greater Manchester, the couple spent weeks travelling across England by taxi, ostensibly avoiding police.
“The arrest location was close to open land and the couple were moving towards that land. We know that they travel, we know they travel long distances,” said Det Supt Basford.
“My plea to the members of the public here in Brighton and crossing over towards Newhaven is to please be vigilant.”
Napier Marten, Ms. Marten’s father, told The Independent that while he was “immensely relieved” that his daughter had been located, he was also “tempered by the very alarming news that her baby has yet to be found.”
Officers are concentrating their search at the northernmost point of Stanmer Villas, which is tucked between Hollingbury Golf Course and Roedale Valley Allotments.
This area of Brighton’s northern edge is quiet and primarily residential.
From their balconies, residents of the homes that face the allotments have been watching the search for any significant developments.
In support of the investigation, more than 200 officers have been sent to Sussex, according to the police, “offering significant resources, specialist capabilities, local knowledge and peer support.”
After beginning to show signs of pregnancy, Ms. Marten and her partner left their home in Eltham, southeast London, in September.
The couple’s car broke down on the M61 near Bolton on January 5 and was discovered burning; as a result, they immediately travelled to Liverpool, Essex, and London.
They appeared to be attempting to cover their faces in the CCTV footage.
According to police, they were believed to be carrying a sizable sum of cash and to be using camping gear to live off the grid.
Police said they were concerned when the couple first vanished because they appeared to be “constantly moving and awake for at least a few days – which must be especially draining on someone who had just given birth without medical attention.”
They added that there was no proof that Ms. Marten or the infant had received a medical evaluation since the child was born.
Detectives announced a £10,000 reward at the end of January for information leading to the couple’s location.
Ms. Marten, 35, who comes from a wealthy family and had a privileged upbringing with private schooling and stately home living in Dorset, is now in her mid-thirties.
According to the police, she lost contact with her family after meeting Gordon in 2016 while studying drama.
