Missing 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro's parents plead not guilty to murder charges
The parents accused of the death of their 7-month-old son, Emmanuel Haro, pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Thursday.
Jake Haro, 32, and Rebecca Haro, 41, both appeared briefly at the Riverside Hall of Justice for their arraignments. They were arrested last month after a multi-agency investigation into the missing toddler led to the murder charges. Emmanuel has yet to be found.
The Haros claim that Emmanuel was kidnapped on Aug. 14 in the parking lot of a Yucaipa Big 5 store, as Rebecca was changing his diaper in the seat of her car. She said she was attacked and knocked unconscious, and when she woke up, Emmanuel was gone.
Through on-air media interviews soon after, the couple pleaded for the return of their son as Rebecca appeared with a black eye. Investigators quickly became skeptical of their story, noting the "inconsistencies".
Both parents stopped cooperating with investigators shortly after that, as searches for their son continued. On Aug. 18, San Bernardino County sheriff's detectives served search warrants at the family's Cabazon property, and "a large amount of surveillance video" was obtained from areas of interest for review, according to the department.
Just a little over one week after Emmanuel's disappearance, the Haros were arrested on Aug. 22.
Jake, wearing orange inmate attire, was spotted with San Bernardino County investigators walking through a field off the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley alongside detectives and cadaver dogs. However, authorities didn't give an official reason for the appearance.
"There was forensic data from the crime scene," San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said last week. "That's how we learned the jurisdiction where this crime occurred. Forensically, there were a number of things we were able to prove up."
D.A. Mike Hestrin said in an Aug. 27 news conference that the child's being "abused over time" caused the baby's death. "We believe Emmanuel was severely abused ... and because of the abuse, he succumbed to those injuries," he said.
Hestrin blamed failure in the criminal justice system for the toddler's alleged death, enabling Jake Haro to remain free on probation after pleading guilty in a prior child abuse case involving his ex-wife and another infant, Carolina.
In 2023, Haro admitted a child cruelty charge, but made his plea directly to the court, avoiding negotiations with prosecutors. Hestrin said the prosecution had wanted prison for the defendant's extensive abuse of the girl, which resulted in broken ribs, a fractured skull and a brain hemorrhage, leaving her permanently bedridden.
"If that judge had done his job, Emmanuel would be alive today," Hestrin said.
Jake Haro was arrested and charged last year in Banning with illegal possession of a loaded firearm, as well as probation violations. That case hasn't been resolved.
Court documents also revealed that Isabel Gonzalez, Haro's former spouse, filed a domestic violence restraining order against him with a request to protect the couple's son, Eli.
Jake and Rebecca Haro's preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 17. Both remain jailed on $1 million bail.