NEED TO KNOW
- Rebecca Haro reported on Thursday, Aug. 14, that her 7-month-old son, Emmanuel, was kidnapped in Riverside County, Calif.
- During the following week, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigated his kidnapping
- On Friday, Aug. 22, authorities said Emmanuel was not kidnapped and was deceased; his mother and father, Jake Haro, were charged with murder
Rebecca and Jake Haro were charged with murder in relation to their son Emmanuel’s disappearance, and police now say their 7-month-old was never kidnapped.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD) announced their arrests on Friday, Aug. 22, and confirmed both were booked in a Riverside County jail without bail. No other arrests have been made, and no other suspects have been named.
Rebecca, 32, first reported the infant went missing on Thursday, Aug. 14. She claimed an attacker hit her and kidnapped her baby from outside a store.
However, authorities said on Friday, Aug. 22, that Emmanuel’s kidnapping did not occur, based on the evidence, which included numerous interviews, search warrants, and closely analyzed digital and electronic evidence.
“It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing,” per the SBCSD. “These arrests mark a significant development, our focus remains on finding Emmanuel.”
“The circumstances surrounding this investigation are tragic and we will continue to search for Emmanuel,” Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. “I trust our justice system will hold the parents accountable.”
The investigation began when Rebecca reported his disappearance on Thursday, Aug. 14. Rebecca previously said that day, she and Jake were at a local park with their three children for their son’s football practice, per KTLA.
She drove to a Big 5 Sporting Goods store to buy her son a mouthguard and took Emmanuel with her, she told the outlet. She parked the car and was setting up to change Emmanuel when she heard someone say “hola,” and then lost consciousness, she claimed.
She told the outlet that once she woke up, the baby was nowhere to be found. She appeared to have a black eye when she spoke to the TV station.
Over the weekend, authorities observed what they believed were inconsistencies in her stories. “Rebecca was confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement and declined to continue with the interview,” the SBSD alleged in a Sunday, Aug. 17, statement.
In 2023, Jake was convicted of child cruelty after a 10-week-old girl was treated for broken bones in October 2018, reports The Orange County Register, citing court documents. Jake pleaded guilty to willful child cruelty in June 2023 and was sentenced to 180 days in the sheriff’s work-release program, received a suspended four-year prison sentence and ordered to attend a child abuser treatment program, per the outlet.
Jake was also due in court on Sept. 2 on an unrelated charge of being a felon or addict in possession of a firearm, the Register reports.
Anyone with information related to this case is urged to call the Homicide Detail at 909-890-4904. Callers wishing to remain anonymous should contact We-Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or go to http://wetip.com.
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If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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