The parents of missing 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro have been charged with first-degree murder.
According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Jake Haro, 32, and his wife, Rebecca Haro, 41, are also facing a misdemeanor charge for allegedly filing a false police report. The charges were announced on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Court records reviewed by PEOPLE indicate that both parents are being held on $1 million bail.
The Haros initially told investigators that Emmanuel had been kidnapped from the parking lot of a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Yucaipa on Aug. 14.
Rebecca claimed she had been changing her son’s diaper when she was attacked and knocked unconscious by an unknown individual. When she regained consciousness, she said, Emmanuel was gone.
While Rebecca publicly pleaded for her child’s safe return, investigators grew skeptical. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported that the couple became less cooperative as deputies uncovered “inconsistencies” in Rebecca’s statements about the alleged abduction.
Authorities now believe Emmanuel is dead, though his body has not been found.
Court documents reveal that this is not the first time Jake Haro has faced allegations involving child abuse. In 2018, he was convicted of willful child cruelty in connection with his then 10-week-old daughter from a previous relationship.
At the time, Jake claimed the baby had slipped in the sink while he was washing her. However, medical professionals documented far more serious injuries, including a brain hemorrhage, rib fractures, cervical spine damage, retinal hemorrhages, and seizures. One doctor later stated the child’s condition “could have been fatal if medical attention was not sought,” according to an arrest warrant reviewed by PEOPLE.
The warrant further noted that the injuries were consistent with abuse rather than an accidental fall, citing “abuse head trauma, child physical abuse and nutritional neglect.”
In 2023, Jake reached a plea deal with prosecutors and admitted to a charge of willful child neglect. He was sentenced to six years in prison, though the sentence was suspended. Instead, he was placed on probation for four years.
Within a year, Jake allegedly violated probation after being found with a firearm. That case was expected to go to trial later this year, though it is unclear how his current arrest will affect those proceedings.
Both Jake and Rebecca deny the charges. Neither currently has an attorney listed in court records.
