The intense search for a missing baby in Southern California has gained national attention, with what initially was a missing persons case now advancing into a murder investigation.
Emmanuel Haro, a 7-month-old baby from Cabazon, was reported missing on Aug. 14.
The baby’s parents, 32-year-old Jake Mitchell Haro and 41-year-old Rebecca Renee Haro, have been detained in connection with their baby’s death, while the hunt for Emmanuel is still ongoing.
Here is a timeline on what we know so far in the case.
Aug. 14
At around 7:47 p.m. on August 14, 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro was declared missing following a report by his mother, Rebecca Haro. She claimed she was assaulted outside a store on Yucaipa Boulevard, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Rebecca informed authorities that while she was outside her car changing the baby’s diaper, an unidentified male attacked her, resulting in her losing consciousness, as stated by the sheriff’s department.
When she woke up, the child was gone, the mother told officials.
Once on the scene, scent-tracking dogs were deployed, but the 7-month-old “was not located,” officials said.
Baby Emmanuel Haro likely died from abuse by his parents before they made a false report that he was abducted, authorities said.
Officials said this is an active investigation, no suspect information is available and they are “seeking the public’s help in locating the child.”
Emmanuel was last seen in a black Nike onesie, weighing 21 pounds and approximately 24 inches tall, with brown hair and eyes, and cross-eyed, according to the sheriff’s department’s initial statement regarding his disappearance.
Aug. 15
The following day, officials issued a further statement indicating they were “continuing their search for the 7-month-old baby boy allegedly kidnapped the previous night in Yucaipa.”
The sheriff’s department said the baby “had not been found” and the investigators will “continue to work on this case to locate the child.”
The same day, Rebecca and Jake Haro spoke to Los Angeles ABC station KABC about Emmanuel’s disappearance. Rebecca Haro described her son as a “happy boy” and begged whoever had her son to “give him back to me.”
“Please don’t hurt my son,” Rebecca Haro told KABC.
“Whoever took our son, please bring him back,” Jake Haro told KABC during the same interview.
Aug. 16
Officials said they interviewed “multiple individuals” regarding the disappearance, including the child’s mother and father.
San Bernardino and Riverside county officials discussed the presumed death of baby Emmanuel Haro, saying they believe his parents abused him over time.
“During those interviews, Rebecca was confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement and declined to continue with the interview,” the sheriff’s office said.
After those interviews, investigators were “unable to rule out foul play in the disappearance of Emmanuel,” officials said.
Aug. 18
Officials conducted “extensive searches in Yucaipa and Cabazon, looking for Emmanuel and any evidence that might lead to his location and circumstances surrounding his disappearance,” the sheriff’s department said in a press release on Aug. 18.
The officials have also “served several search warrants at the Haro home” and are reviewing a “large amount of surveillance video” from the areas of interest.
Aug. 19
Officials said they are looking into a reported sighting of Emmanuel Haro in Kern County, saying “no information on where in Kern County was provided.”
The same day, Jake Haro’s attorney, Vincent Hughes, provided a statement to ABC News, saying both parents “seek answers about their missing child” and that the father is “fully cooperating with law enforcement and investigators.”
Aug. 20
Jake and Rebecca Haro are seen leaving the Riverside Superior Juvenile Courts on Aug. 20, while the search for their child continues.
Aug. 22
Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested at their residence in Cabazon for the murder of their son, officials said.
“Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur. It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement after the parents’ arrest.
Officials said no other arrests have been made and no suspects remain outstanding, with the search for Emmanuel continuing.
“While these arrests mark a significant development, our focus remains on finding Emmanuel,” officials said.
Rebecca Haro was placed in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center, while Jake Haro was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, according to jail records.
Aug. 24
Officials conduct another search for Emmanuel “along the westbound shoulder of the 60 Freeway, near Gilman Springs Road, in Moreno Valley,” with Jake Haro and cadaver dogs accompanying detectives, authorities said.
The search concluded after “Emmanuel was not located,” authorities said.
Aug. 26
Jake and Rebecca Haro appeared in a California court on Aug. 26 in the wake of being charged with murder and making a false police report.
The two were in court for less than five minutes, with a $1 million bail set for both. Their arraignment is scheduled to continue on Sept. 4.
Aug. 27
During a press conference with the Riverside County District Attorney and members of law enforcement, officials said they have a “pretty strong indication” on the location of the remains of the 7-month-old and that the alleged murder of Emmanuel “was preventable in numerous ways.”
Officials also revealed they believe the child was “severely abused over a period of time” and that both parents “would have been aware of that abuse,” Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said.
“The filing in this case reflects our belief that baby Emmanuel was abused over time and that eventually because of that abuse, he succumbed to those injuries,” Hestrin said.
Hestrin said Jake Haro, who he described as an “experienced child abuser,” “should have gone to prison” due to previously abusing another child he had with his ex-wife back in 2018, but a judge at the time granted him probation — a ruling that Hestrin called an “outrageous error in judgment.” Authorities said the child in that case has been left bedridden.
“If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today,” Hestrin said.
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