Emmanuel Haro’s Father Learns Fate After Murdering Baby, Faking His Kidnapping

The father of baby Emmanuel Haro will spend at least the next three decades in prison after admitting to killing his infant son.

Jake Haro appeared in a California courtroom on Monday, Nov. 3, where he received a sentence of 25 years to life for murder. He also pleaded guilty to filing a false police report and child endangerment, among other charges. Prosecutors from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office had recommended this punishment. Combined with his other offenses, Jake will serve at least 30 years behind bars, according to KTLA.

It has been nearly three months since Emmanuel was last seen alive. The 7-month-old vanished and is presumed dead, authorities said.

Meanwhile, his mother, Rebecca Haro — Jake’s wife — continues to plead not guilty to murder. Both parents initially entered not-guilty pleas before Jake abruptly confessed in October. Even after his confession, he has not revealed how he killed his son or where the child’s remains might be located.

Rebecca originally claimed her baby was kidnapped on Aug. 14, just before 8 p.m., from a sporting goods store parking lot in Yucaipa, California, about 10 miles east of San Bernardino.

“I took him out of the car seat and I laid him on the chair, and I had his diapers right here,” Rebecca told authorities when she filed the now-discredited kidnapping report. “Someone said ‘Hola,’ and I couldn’t even turn and … I don’t remember nothing.”

She later said she awoke to find Emmanuel gone. Initially, many believed her account — especially as she bore a large black eye she said came from an attack.

Investigators, however, soon uncovered serious inconsistencies in her statements. Authorities reported that within a week, both parents stopped cooperating with the investigation. On Aug. 22, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced that detectives had “determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur.” The statement added that, after hundreds of hours of searching, investigators believed Emmanuel was dead and that efforts to locate his remains were continuing.

Jake and Rebecca were arrested the same day on suspicion of murder. Two days later, Jake briefly left jail to assist in the search for his son. Authorities now believe Emmanuel was killed days before his mother’s false report — with his last known sighting on Aug. 5, according to a criminal complaint.

In a separate case, Jake previously pleaded guilty to willful neglect of a child in 2018 after severely abusing his 10-week-old daughter. Prosecutors said the injuries left her permanently bedridden and suffering from cerebral palsy.

Rebecca remains in custody on $1 million bail and is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 3 for a preliminary hearing on murder and false-report charges. The couple’s 2-year-old child has been removed from their care.