A 7-month-old child who went missing earlier this month in San Bernardino County is now believed to have been killed by his parents in Cabazon, according to District Attorney Mike Hestrin, who stated that the toddler was a victim of prolonged abuse that resulted in his death.
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Hestrin stated that murder charges were filed on Tuesday against Jake Mitchell Haro, 32, and Rebecca Renee Haro, 41, from Cabazon, in relation to the disappearance and presumed death of Emmanuel Haro, expressing “our belief that baby Emmanuel was subjected to abuse, a victim of child neglect, over time and that ultimately, due to this abuse, he died from those injuries. That’s what we believe.”
The baby’s body has yet to be discovered, even though Hestrin mentioned that investigators “have a strong idea of where baby Emmanual’s remains are,” while the search is still ongoing.
Jake and Rebecca Haro were taken into custody last week after a probe by the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department. In addition to the murder charges, the defendants faced accusations of submitting a false police report, which is considered a misdemeanor.
The defendants jointly appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon in front of Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, who assigned them the same public defender and scheduled their arraignment for September 4 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Jake Haro was detained without bond at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning; his wife was also held without bond at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside. They were arrested on Friday at their home on Ramona Street, following a missing person case that quickly evolved into a homicide investigation.
Hestrin stated that the baby’s death could have been avoided, pointing to a flaw in the criminal justice system that led to Jake Haro receiving probation in a prior child abuse case involving his ex-wife and another infant.
As per Hestrin, Haro faced charges such as child abuse and child cruelty, with prosecutors seeking a prison sentence in 2023. However, Haro admitted guilt directly to the court for all the charges, resulting in the judge imposing only probation and community service.
My prosecutor in court objected to that and stated on the record that we object, we believe it’s a prison case and he should be sent to prison,” Hestrin said. “The judge, as is his right, decided in this case that Mr. Haro deserved an extra chance and gave him probation, essentially 180 days of work release, which amounts to community service.
I will state that it was a shocking mistake in judgment by this judge. I have no issue stating that. I am not targeting the judge personally. That decision was completely unacceptable. Mr. Haro should have been in prison when this crime occurred. If that judge had fulfilled his responsibilities properly, Emmanuel would still be alive today. And that is a tragedy and an outrage.
Personnel from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department were checking possible locations for disposing of bodies along the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway in the Badlands at the end of the previous week, but had no luck.
Emmanuel went missing in the 34000 block of Yucaipa Boulevard in Yucaipa during the evening of August 14.
Rebecca Haro told officers she was attacked while standing near her car, changing Emmanuel’s diaper outside a Big 5 sporting goods store. The defendant claimed she was knocked unconscious, and the attacker ran away with the child.
As soon as I woke up, I couldn’t locate my son,” she said to the media. “I looked everywhere near my truck.
However, investigators stated they found discrepancies in Haro’s original account, after which she reportedly declined to continue cooperating with law enforcement.
On August 18, detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department executed search warrants at the Haro residence with assistance from K9 units, and “a significant quantity of surveillance footage” was collected from relevant areas for examination, as reported by the agency.
Jake Haro consulted a lawyer following his wife’s decision to cease her involvement in the investigation, as reported.
According to the evidence gathered, investigators concluded that the claimed kidnapping in Yucaipa never occurred — eventually finding out the victim had already passed away.
Jake Haro is said to have been arrested once more in July 2024 in Banning, facing charges of illegally possessing a loaded weapon. This case remains unresolved.
Court records also showed that Isabel Rebecca Gonzalez, Haro’s ex-spouse, submitted a domestic violence protection order against him on August 19, with the aim of safeguarding their son, Eli.
Jake has a history of criminal activity,” said attorney Vincent Hughes, who defended Haro in the 2023 child abuse case, to the Los Angeles Times. “We aren’t avoiding that, but the details of that case are quite different from those of this one. And one offense doesn’t imply that you’ve committed all other crimes.
Rebecca Haro does not have any recorded felony convictions in Riverside County.
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