Emmuel Haro, the infant who was at the center of a week-long missing persons investigation, may have died more than a week prior to the day he was reported missing, according to Riverside County prosecutors.
In the criminal complaints filed against Emmanuel’s parents, Rebecca and Jake Haro,prosecutors list the potential date of death for 7-month-old Emmanuel as anywhere between Aug. 5 and Aug. 14, the day his mother said he vanished. The parents have been charged with one count each of murder with malice
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Rebecca Haro said she was attacked in a Yucaipa parking lot Aug. 14 outside a Big 5 store while changing Emmanuel’s diaper. She told them that when she woke up, her child was gone. But investigators said there were inconsistencies in her initial statement, and when they confronted her about those details, they said she stopped cooperating.
In an interview with KTLA-TV before her arrest, Haro, who had a black eye, pleaded for the return of her son. “If you know anything, please come forward or take him to the cops,” she said. “Please come and bring my son back. I’m begging you.”
During the investigation, the couple surrendered their phones to investigators and allowed detectives to search their Cabazon home, said attorney Vincent Hughes, who represents Jake Haro in a separate criminal case. Investigators also took two iPads, including one that had not been taken out of the box, and three Xbox video game consoles. Their vehicle was also taken by investigators as part of the search for their son, according to Hughes.
The Haros were arrested at their Cabazon home Friday. Authorities said they faked the story about a mysterious attacker who abducted their son.
“It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “While these arrests mark a significant development, our focus remains on finding Emmanuel.”
Sheriff’s investigators are now focused on finding Emmanuel’s remains. Over the weekend, search teams scoured an isolated field in Moreno Valley. They were accompanied by Jake Haro but did not find anything, officials said.
The couple is being held in lieu of $1 million bail each. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 4.
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