Baby Emmanuel Haro Died After Lifetime of ‘Severe Abuse,’ Murdered by Parents Days Before False Kidnapping Report: DA

New details have emerged in the case of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro, whose death is now being investigated as a homicide, officials announced during a Wednesday press conference in California.

“The filing in this case reflects our belief that baby Emmanuel was abused, a victim of child abuse over time, and that eventually because of that abuse, he succumbed to those injuries,” said Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin.

The filing refers to the criminal complaint charging Emmanuel’s parents, Jake and Rebecca Haro, with their son’s murder.

Rebecca initially claimed that Emmanuel was kidnapped on Aug. 14, saying she was knocked unconscious while changing his diaper in the parking lot of a Yucaipa sporting goods store, about 10 miles east of San Bernardino.

Investigators soon found inconsistencies in her account and quickly identified Rebecca and Jake as the primary suspects in their son’s disappearance and death. Authorities now believe Emmanuel was killed days earlier, with the last confirmed sighting of him on Aug. 5, according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.

Hestrin stated that investigators have an idea of where Emmanuel’s remains may be, though he declined to share specific details.

On Sunday, investigators searched alongside Jake after both parents were taken into custody on suspicion of murder. The couple appeared in court on Tuesday, where their arraignment was scheduled for Sept. 4.

Hestrin also criticized the judge who previously gave Jake a suspended sentence following a 2023 guilty plea for willful child neglect.

“In 2018, Jake Haro, along with his ex-wife, was prosecuted for child abuse and child neglect. That case involved an infant. In 2023, we charged felony crimes, and our office sought a prison sentence. We believed it was a prison case and that Jake Haro should have gone to prison,” Hestrin said.

Court records obtained by PEOPLE show Jake pleaded guilty to one count of willful child cruelty in that earlier case. His 10-week-old daughter with another woman had been hospitalized with severe injuries.

According to Jake’s 2018 arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE, the infant had a brain hemorrhage, multiple rib fractures, a cervical spine injury, retinal hemorrhages, and had suffered seizures. One doctor noted her condition “could have been fatal if medical attention was not sought.”

Jake claimed he accidentally dropped the child into a sink, but doctors stated that the extent of her injuries could not have been caused by a short fall. “The history of a short fall onto the kitchen sink does not explain her extensive and severe head trauma or her multiple bilateral rib fractures,” the arrest warrant read.

Although he pleaded guilty, the judge suspended Jake’s six-year prison sentence and placed him on four years of probation. Less than a year later, he allegedly violated probation after being charged with firearm possession.

“Mr. Haro should have been in prison at the time that this crime happened, and if that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today,” Hestrin said Tuesday. “That’s a shame and it’s an outrage. When our criminal justice system breaks down, I’m going to call it like it is.”

Hestrin added that the 10-week-old victim of the 2018 abuse is now 7 years old, bedridden, and living with cerebral palsy as a result of the injuries her father inflicted.

At the same press conference, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus described Jake as an “experienced child abuser.” Officials also confirmed that the Haros’ 2-year-old child has been removed from their home.

Court records show both Jake and Rebecca are being held on $1 million bail. Their public defender did not respond to requests for comment.