Emmanuel Haro’s father was tricked into admitting that he killed the 7-month-old and dumped his body in a trash can, according to a new report — as authorities say the baby died after enduring lengthy abuse by his parents.
Investigators used an undercover inmate to goad Jake Haro into admitting to the grisly crime, NewsNation’s Brian Entin reported, citing sources.
Meanwhile, authorities said they can prove Emmanuel died after a long period of physical abuse at the hands of Haro and his wife Rebecca at their home Riverside County, California.
“We believe baby Emmanuel was subject to abuse over time, and because of that abuse, he succumbed to his injuries,” Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin told reporters Wednesday.
“We have a pretty strong indication of where the remains of baby Emmanuel are,” he added.
Jake Haro’s wife Rebecca initially told cops a strange man had hit her on the head and snatched the kid while she was changing his diaper outside a sporting goods store in San Bernardino on August 14.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested the Haros several days later and charged them with murder, citing “inconsistencies” in their stories.
Jake Haro changed the story from jail, telling cops he rolled over on Emmanuel while he slept and suffocated him, burying his body near a freeway, according to Brian Entin’s source.
The freeway story may explain why Jake Haro was seen with investigators in a remote field in Moreno Valley.
“We have some ideas in terms of where we’re going to look and where we’re going to continue to investigate,” Hestrin said.
Hestrin pointed to a 2023 child abuse conviction against Haro, 32, who severely beat his young daughter from a previous marriage, leaving the girl bedridden with permanent injuries.
What you need to know about the disappearance of Emmanuel Haro:
- Parents Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested on Aug. 22 on murder charges a week after their 7-month-old son Emmanuel went missing in Cabazon, Calif.
- The mother previously claimed their baby boy was abducted after a man attacked her outside of a sporting goods store in Yucaipa on Aug. 14 — but police said there were inconsistencies with her story.
- Jake Haro’s car was seized by police days later for evidence as the search continued for Emmanuel. The father previously served a prison sentence for child cruelty stemming from an incident in 2018 and is currently on probation.
- Police officers stormed into the Haros’ house and arrested them after determining there was no abduction. “It is believed Emmanuel is deceased, and the search to recover his remains is ongoing,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
- Jake Haro was seen in an orange prison jumpsuit assisting police officers in the search for Emmanuel’s remains off of a highway in Moreno Valley, Calif. on Aug. 24.
Hestrin said Haro should have been in prison after that incident, which left his child with fractured ribs, fractured skull, a brain hemorrhage, and other injuries.
Yet Haro received no jail time.
“That decision was absolutely outrageous. Mr. Haro should have been in prison,” Hestrin said.
Authorities confirmed that both Jake and Rebecca Haro will be charged with murder, but they emphasized that they do not have a precise location for Emmanuel’s body.
Police also tried to dupe Rebecca Haro with a similar undercover inmate operation, also known as a “snitch jacket,” but she stuck by her story, NewsNation reported.
Emmanuel may have been dead weeks before the couple reported the kidnapping, Entin added.
The couple have two other children: A 2-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old, who Jake’s stepchild. The daughter has been taken into the care of Riverside Child Protective Services.
The parents were set to be arraigned on Tuesday but the appearance was postponed until next week.
The Riverside County Sheriff — which is conducting a joint investigation with cops in San Bernadino — revealed that they responded to a report of suspected child abuse near the sporting-goods store on the same day Emmanuel vanished — and that the Haros are linked to that probe.
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Sheriff’s deputies said the report involved a home on Cottonwood Avenue in Moreno Valley, just down the road from the Big 5 Sporting Goods, where Rebecca claimed to have been attacked.
“The investigation is related to the Haros and no further details are available,’’ authorities said in a statement, referring to the child-abuse report.
Little Emmanuel’s body still has not been found.
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