San Bernardino and Riverside county officials in Southern California spoke about the presumed death of baby Emmanuel Haro one day following the murder charges against his parents, stating they suspect prolonged abuse.
During a news conference on Wednesday, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin, along with Sheriff Chad Bianco and San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus, shared details of their investigation.
Although authorities have yet to recover the body of the 7-month-old, Hestrin mentioned they have a “strong indication” of where to find his remains. They believe Emmanuel was subjected to ongoing abuse by his parents, which ultimately led to his death.
Hestrin stated, “It’s appropriate to have a press conference because it was the defendants who initially had one,” highlighting that the parents falsely claimed their child was kidnapped to the public, media, and law enforcement.
Rebecca Haro, Emmanuel’s mother, alleged that she was attacked in a Big 5 parking lot in Yucaipa on August 14, reporting a kidnapping of her baby.
The search continues for a 7-month-old boy who was reportedly kidnapped in Yucaipa.
Shortly after, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department noted that Rebecca and Jake Haro, Emmanuel’s father, ceased cooperating with investigators. Some audience members found it peculiar that Jake referred to his son in the past tense during an interview.
“He was a healthy baby. He was crawling. He was kicking. He was playing with his toys. He was a 7-month-old, he was our 7-month-old,” Jake told Eyewitness News on Aug. 15.
They were arrested at their Cabazon home last week.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Hestrin spoke about a case from two years ago in which Jake pleaded guilty to child abuse regarding one of his children with his ex-wife. That child was also an infant.
Jake did not go to prison.
“The judge decided Mr. Haro deserved an extra break and gave him probation, and basically 180 days of work-release, which ends up being like community service,” Hestrin said, calling the judge’s decision an “outrageous error in judgement.”
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin spoke about a case from two years ago in which Jake Haro pleaded guilty to child abuse regarding one of his other children.
“If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today,” the district attorney said.
Emmanuel’s parents appeared in court Tuesday– with public defenders representing the mother and father — for less than five minutes, with a $1 million bail set for both. Their arraignment will continue on Sept. 4. They are also charged with making a false police report.
Rebecca is currently being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center, while Jake is being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, according to jail records.
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