Officials investigating the disappearance and presumed death of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro said Wednesday that they believe that baby suffered a prolonged period of abuse and then ultimately died from his injuries.
Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin, speaking at a news conference, also said that investigators “have a pretty strong indication of where the remains of baby Emmanuel are.”
“We believe that Emmanuel was severely abused over a period of time,” Hestrin said. “Both parents would have been aware of that abuse.”
Rebecca and Jake Haro have been charged with murder and filing a false report in the baby’s death, as CrimeOnline reported. Rebecca Haro claimed that she was knocked unconscious in the parking lot of a sporting goods store on August 14, and the baby was gone when she regained consciousness. Both Haros gave interviews begging for information about the missing child.
Investigators quickly found “inconsistencies” in her story, and they were arrested last week. Formal charges were filed on Tuesday.
Although Hestrin and the sheriff’s of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties declined to offer a timeline about when they think the baby died, investigators previously said they believe the infant died between August 5 and August 14.
Over the weekend, Jake Haro was seen with search crews in Moreno Valley. San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dikus did not provide details but said there had been “some level of cooperation” from the defendants, leading investigators to that location.
Investigators did not find the child during that search, but Hestrin said that they are still out looking.
Hestrin and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco also commented on a prior child abuse case involving Jake Haro. He, along with his ex-wife, had been charged with child abuse in a case from 2018 in which his daughter was severely abused, and her injuries left her “permanent bedridden,” Hestrin said.
The girl, also an infant, suffered an acute rib fracture and multiple healing rib fractures, a partial skull fracture, a brain hemorrhage, and a healing leg fracture.
Hestrin said his office argued for a prison sentence, but Haro “pled straight up to the court,” essentially throwing himself “on the mercy of the court.” And, he said, the judge gave him a break, sentencing him to probation.
“It was an outrageous error in judgement for this judge,” Hestrin said. “Mr. Haro should have been in prison at the time that this crime [baby Emmanuel] happened.”
“This was preventable in numerous ways,” Bianco said.”Had that case been successfully handled the way it should have been handled, Emmanuel would absolutely be with us today.”
Hestrin also said that a report that Haro had confessed to a fake inmate that he killed the baby were untrue. “There was no confession,” he said.
While investigators stressed “some level of cooperation” from the Haros, Rebecca Haro, as recently as Sunday, was sticking to her story about a kidnapping in interviews.
The Haros are due in court again on September 4.
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[Featured image: Emmanuel Haro/San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department]
