The parents of a 7-month-old boy who’s been missing since Aug. 14 remained under arrest Sunday after being taken into custody in Cabazon while the father was spotted in Moreno Valley with investigators..
Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested Friday at their home on Ramona Street on suspicion of murder with malice and were being held without bail, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Jake, 32, was being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility according to the Riverside County inmate database. Rebecca, 41, was being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center.
Both were expected to appear in court Tuesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
ABC7 showed video Sunday of Jake Haro in orange jail clothes with San Bernardino County investigators searching a remote field in Moreno Valley for the body of his son.
“This afternoon, a search for Emmanuel Haro was conducted along the westbound shoulder of the 60 Freeway near Gilman Springs Road in Moreno Valley,” according to a San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department statement. “Investigators were assisted by cadaver dogs. Jake Haro was at the location with detectives. ”
As for the outcome, “The search has concluded, and Emmanuel was not located,” sheriff’s officials said. “The investigation to find Emmanuel continues.”
Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department responded to the 34000 block of Yucaipa Boulevard around 7:50 p.m. on Aug. 14 to a report of a missing 7-month-old boy identified as Emmanuel Haro.
The child’s mother reported to deputies that she had been physically assaulted while standing outside her vehicle changing her baby’s diaper in the parking lot of a Big 5 Sporting Goods store. Rebecca Haro reported that she was left unconscious as a result of the assault and when she awoke, her son was missing.
“I got him out of the car seat, and I laid him down so I could get his diapers ready, and somebody said, `Hola,’ and that’s all I remember. I saw white, and I fell on the floor, and as soon as I got up, I couldn’t find my son. I checked all around my truck,” Rebecca told ABC7 on Aug. 15.
Deputies and K9 units from San Bernardino and Riverside counties responded and began an extensive search for Emmanuel, but he was not found.
During the course of the investigation, which was assumed by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division, investigators allegedly found inconsistencies in Rebecca Haro’s initial report. As a result, she declined to continue with the interview, authorities said.
San Bernardino County investigators served several search warrants at the Haro home with the help of K9 units, and “a large amount of surveillance video” was obtained from areas of interest for review by the sheriff’s department on Aug. 18.
According to the sheriff’s department, Jake Haro hired an attorney after Rebecca allegedly refused to continue cooperating with authorities.
Based on the evidence collected, investigators determined the kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur, they said. Investigators also believe Emmanuel is dead and the search for his remains was ongoing as of Sunday afternoon.
“The circumstances surrounding this investigation are tragic and we will continue to search for Emmanuel,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said.
The Uvalde Foundation for Kids had initially offered to help in the search for Emmanuel and offered a $5,000 reward, but as new information on the case emerged, the non-profit organization withdrew the offer.
“We cannot in good conscience, utilize our team and resources when so much is missing in this case. Of particular concern to us lies within the inconsistencies in the details and the sudden decision by the mother to end communication with law enforcement and our team originally prepared to help,” the foundation told ABC7. “Tell me, what parent would do that who was missing a child? Something is not right in this whole picture. We hope law enforcement will continue to pursue the case so that this precious child may be found and placed in a safe environment.”
According to KESQ3, Jake Haro and his former partner, identified as Vanessa Avina, were charged with child cruelty in 2018 after the couple allegedly endangered their child under conditions likely to cause great bodily harm or death. He pleaded guilty and was placed on four years of felony probation and ordered to serve 180 days in jail on a work-release program. A six-year prison term was suspended as part of the plea, according to the station.
Jake Haro was allegedly arrested again in July 2024 in Banning — while he was still on probation — on suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was released on $10,000 bail in August 2024, according to KESQ3.
Additional court documents also revealed that Isabel Rebecca Gonzalez, a former wife of Jake Haro, filed a domestic violence retraining order on Aug. 19 against Haro, and the request also sought to protect the couple’s son Eli Mitchell Haro.
And ABC7 reported that Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded to a child-abuse call in the 23000 block of Cottonwood Avenue in Moreno Valley on Thursday afternoon, and later confirmed that the investigation is related to the Haros.
“Jake has a criminal past,” Vincent Hughes, who represents Haro in the 2023 child cruelty case, told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re not running from that, but the facts of that case are a lot different than the facts of this case. And one crime doesn’t mean that you’ve committed every other crime known to man, especially to take your own child.”
Anyone with additional information about the case was encouraged to contact the SBSD Homicide Detail at 909-890-4904. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 800-782-7463.