Police are now treating the disappearance of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro as a criminal investigation, citing “inconsistencies” in his mother’s account.
UPDATE
August 25 – Jake Haro, the father of missing 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro, was spotted with San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigators on Sunday as they searched a rural area along the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley. Gio Insignares reports.
Baby Emmanuel Haro, thought to be dead, was not kidnapped
Baby Emmanuel Haro appears to be dead, and authorities have confirmed that he was not kidnapped, according to the sheriff’s department.
Jake and Rebecca Haro, Emmanuel’s parents, were arrested Friday on charges of murder, a little more than a week after the 7-month-old was reported missing.
Rebecca Haro said she was changing the baby’s diaper in a supermarket parking lot on August 14 when someone knocked her unconscious and abducted the infant, prompting a frantic search for him.
The disappearance of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro has captured national attention, transforming from a reported kidnapping into a complex and troubling investigation.
The search for the missing baby, who vanished from a parking lot in Yucaipa, California, has been complicated by a series of “inconsistencies” in his mother’s account, a lack of evidence, and the revelation of his father’s criminal history.
As of today, August 20, 2025, the case has moved from a public plea for his return to a focused investigation with his parents at the centre of a police probe.
The Alleged Kidnapping and The First Public Pleas
The case began on the evening of Thursday, August 14, 2025, when Rebecca Haro called authorities to report that her son, Emmanuel, had been kidnapped.
She told deputies that she was changing her son’s diaper in the back of her truck outside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store when an unknown man attacked her from behind, knocked her unconscious, and abducted her baby. When she awoke, with a visible black eye, her son was gone.
In the days that followed, the Haro family made emotional pleas to the media, begging for Emmanuel’s safe return.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department launched an extensive search, deploying K-9 units and searching the surrounding area, but found no trace of the infant.
A missing persons flyer was circulated, but an Amber Alert was not issued due to the lack of a suspect or vehicle description.
The Investigation Turns: “Inconsistencies” and a History of Cruelty
The narrative began to unravel over the weekend. In a press release on Saturday, August 16, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department stated that investigators had found “inconsistencies” in Rebecca Haro’s initial statement.
When confronted with these discrepancies, she reportedly stopped cooperating with the police. As a result, authorities announced they “cannot rule out foul play.”
Adding to the public’s concern, it was revealed that Emmanuel’s father, Jake Haro, has a criminal history. Court records show that in 2023, he pleaded guilty to child cruelty in a separate case involving an infant daughter he had with a previous spouse.
The child had suffered severe injuries, including a skull fracture and brain haemorrhage, in 2018. This revelation, along with the parents’ decision to cease communication with police, led the Uvalde Foundation for Kids to withdraw a reward it had offered, citing a lack of a clear, factual narrative.
The Current State of the Case
As the investigation continues, police have focused their attention on the parents. Search warrants have been served at the family’s home in Cabazon, and a vehicle has been seized as evidence. The couple’s other two-year-old child was also removed from the home and placed into the custody of Child Protective Services.
An attorney representing Jake and Rebecca Haro has since spoken to the media, pushing back against the police’s claims of non-cooperation. The lawyer asserts that the couple is fully cooperating and has provided access to their phones, laptops, and home. The attorney claims the family is being targeted by online death threats and is deeply grieving their missing child.
While both sides maintain their positions, the search for Emmanuel Haro remains the top priority. The case is a grim reminder of the complexities of missing person cases and the difficult questions that arise when a parent’s account is called into question. As the investigation progresses, the hope is that Emmanuel will be found safe, and the full truth of his disappearance will be uncovered.
