San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials on Friday, Aug. 22, arrested the parents of missing baby Emmanuel Haro on suspicion of murder, more than a week after his mother said the 7-month-old boy was abducted.
They were arrested at their Cabazon home in Riverside County. Sheriff’s investigators said they were still searching for the baby.
Gloria Orejel, SBCSD’s public information officer, confirmed to USA TODAY that Jake and Rebecca Haro’s arrests are linked to their son’s disappearance, but said no additional information is being released at this time.
“This morning, detectives from the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail and Specialized Enforcement Division arrested Jake and Rebecca Haro at their residence in Cabazon for PC 187 – Murder,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department (SBCSD) said in a post on X shortly after 9 a.m.
In an unrelated 2023 court case, Jake Haro and his ex-wife pleaded guilty in Riverside County on child cruelty charges after his then-10-week-old daughter was admitted to a hospital with broken bones in 2018, according to The Orange County Register.
Here’s what to know about the case.
Emmanuel Haro’s mother reports baby abducted
On Aug. 14, Emmanuel Haro’s mother reported the infant was kidnapped after she was attacked in Yucaipa. The assault and abduction allegedly unfolded about 7:45 p.m. in a commercial neighborhood in the 34000 block of Yucapia Boulevard, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The mother said in several televised interviews that she was changing the infant’s diaper in the parking lot of a Big 5 store just before the kidnapping.
She told reporters she heard a voice say “hola” before seeing a flash of light, then awakening on the ground with a bruised face to find the baby missing.
Scent-tracking dogs were brought in to assist in the search, but the infant remained missing. On Aug. 16, investigators announced they were considering the possibility that the parents may have harmed him after Emmanuel’s parents were confronted with inconsistencies with the mother’s initial statement. She subsequently declined to continue with the interview, investigators said.
“Investigators have served several search warrants at the Haro home and utilized K9s to aid in the investigation,” SBCSD said in a release.
Authorities collect evidence, file charges in Baby Haro case
On Aug. 20, Mara Rodriguez, public information officer for SBCSD, confirmed to USA TODAY that investigators seized a car belonging to Jake Haro for evidence processing.
On Friday, Aug. 22, SBCSD said that Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested and charged with murder under California penal code 187.
According to California law, if convicted, the charge carries a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison.
Court documents reviewed by the Los Angeles Times show that Jake Haro, the father, was convicted of willful child cruelty in June 2023 in a separate case involving another child. His attorney told the paper that the family would continue cooperating with investigators. He added that Rebecca declined to take a polygraph test—but that’s the only request she refused.
“They haven’t ran. I want to make sure that the public is aware they have not gone anywhere,” attorney Vincent Hughes told the Times. “They’re still in the family home, scared for their safety.”
(This story was updated with new information.)
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Missing baby Emmanuel Haro’s parents arrested for murder in Cabazon
Reporting by James Ward and Melina Khan, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
