Days after Emmanuel Haro’s parents, Jake and Rebecca, were charged with murder, the 7-month-old’s father’s chilling confession revealed details about the case. NewsNation’s Brian Entin cited sources to report that investigators used an undercover inmate to goad Jake Haro into admitting that he killed the missing baby and dumped the body in a garbage can.
Earlier this week, the Riverside County District Attorney’s office charged Jake, 32, and his wife, Rebecca, 41, in the death of their son. The couple is also charged with filing a false police report. While the boy has not been found, authorities said they believe he is dead.
Entin reported that Emmanuel endured lengthy abuse by his parents. Officials said that the baby died after a long period of physical abuse.
“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.
Rebecca initially told officers that a strange man had hit her on the head and snatched the child while she was changing his diaper outside a store in San Bernardino on August 14. Deputies told the Haros that there were ‘inconsistencies’ in their stories.
Jake Haro, as per Brian Entin, told police that he rolled over on Emmanuel while he slept and suffocated him. The father then buried the 7-month-old’s body near a freeway.
Last week, the couple urged the public to help find their son. They were arrested Friday. Authorities searched the family’s home in the Riverside County community of Cabazon. Over the weekend, they also searched for the boy’s body near a freeway while his father, wearing a jail jumpsuit, was present.
Jake Haro was convicted of child cruelty in 2023 and was required to enroll in a child abuse treatment program, court records show. His attorney in that case, Vincent Hughes, told the Sun newspaper last week that he didn’t believe the Haros were responsible for their son’s disappearance.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
