San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office deputies have arrested the parents of a missing 7-month-old baby boy, who are now accused of murdering the child.
Deputies arrested parents Rebecca Haro and Jake Haro at their Cabazon, California, residence Friday. The two are charged with the murder of their son Emmanuel, the sheriff’s office said on X.
Ms. Haro initially told the sheriff’s office that she was assaulted on Aug. 14 while changing Emmanuel’s diaper outside her parked vehicle in Yucaipa, California. She said that when she came to, Emmanuel was gone, the sheriff’s office said.
“I was going to get the diaper and somebody said, ’Hola,’ and I don’t remember anything since. I woke up here on the floor and I didn’t see Emmanuel,” Ms. Haro told Los Angeles TV station KTLA-TV on Aug. 15.
After interviewing Mr. Haro, investigators said they found inconsistencies between what Ms. Haro told investigators and her initial statements. Then Ms. Haro stopped speaking with detectives.
Deputies served several search warrants at the Haro home before arresting the parents. The sheriff’s department is also working with local fire department personnel investigating a fire on the property of the Haro family’s neighbors.
The investigation into Emmanuel’s whereabouts is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said on X. The last time he was seen alive, Emmanuel was wearing a onesie, standing about 2 feet tall and weighing about 21 pounds with brown hair and crossed brown eyes, the sheriff’s office said.
Mr. Haro’s defense attorney Vincent Hughes told the New York Post that Mr. Haro denies any involvement in Emmanuel’s disappearance. The accused father previously served jail time for child abuse charges and completed child abuse classes.
“The criminal justice system is about reform, he completed the child abuse class, he did what he was told to do. I don’t really see how if somebody has a charge, any future charge means that they did it,” Mr. Hughes told the Post.
The attorney told the Los Angeles Times that Mr. and Ms. Haro “just want their son back, they want people to put in the same effort that they’re using to question them to go out and search for Emmanuel.”
