Emmanuel Haro: Infant's injuries related to being abused likely led to his death, DA says

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - On Wednesday, Inland Empire officials provided new details about their decision to file murder charges against the parents of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro. 

The update comes the morning after the missing infant's parents, Jake and Rebecca Haro, made their first court appearance and were charged with murder by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. 

Is Emmanuel Haro still alive?

New details emerge:

Southern California investigators believe baby Emmanuel is dead and that he was killed sometime between Aug. 5th, the last confirmed day he was alive, and the day he was reported missing on Aug. 14.

RELATED: Emmanuel Haro: New court documents reveal when 7-month-old California baby was likely killed

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said that after detectives reviewed video surveillance, they found inconsistencies with the initial report and there was no reason to put out an Amber Alert.

Dicus added investigators have spent hundreds of hours combing through evidence, including forensics and forensic data on vehicles, phones and at the crime scene. Officials said forensics revealed a tremendous amount of evidence that Rebecca Haro's story about the alleged kidnapping was untrue. 

How do investigators believe Emmanuel Haro died?

Authorities believe Emmanuel Haro was abused over a period of time. 

"The filing in this case reflects our belief that baby Emmanuel was abused and was the victim of child abuse over time and that eventually, because of that abuse, he succumbed to those injuries and that's what we believe," said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin.

When asked if the parents ever sought medical attention for baby Emmanuel, officials said they were unable to comment. 

"This was preventable in numerous ways," said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. 

Jake Haro's criminal history

Emmanuel's father, Jake Haro, has a criminal history and court records show he was on probation at the time of his son's disappearance in a separate child cruelty case back in 2018. 

"We have to understand what you're dealing with is an experienced child abuser that is aware of a previous case and that is aware of evidentiary things that we are certainly concerned with," Sheriff Dicus said. "We have to make sure that every single thing, no matter what is told to us or what we discover in terms of evidence, is the right thing. And we followed up extensively." 

The Riverside County DA said the victim of the 2018 case is still alive, "but she is permanently bedridden. She has permanent damage… that is a result of long-term child abuse." 

"Someone who does that to a child belongs in prison. Period," said DA Hestrin. 

Where is baby Emmanuel's body? 

DA Hestrin said investigators have a strong indication of where baby Emmanuel's remains are but was unable to provide specifics due to the stage of the investigation.

Over the weekend, Jake Haro was seen assisting deputies and K-9 units in search efforts in a remote area off the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley. "There was some level of cooperation with the suspects involved in this, and we were trying to locate that, and our job is to follow every lead," explained Sheriff Dicus. 

Where is the primary crime scene? 

Investigators in San Bernardino and Riverside counties continue to work together on the investigation. They clarified that the jurisdiction changed from Yucaipa in San Bernardino County to the unincorporated Cabazon community in Riverside County after detectives determined the alleged crime occurred in Riverside County. 

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department continues to lead the investigation. 

"Neither one of us cares about jurisdiction. Our belief is that the Inland Empire is better served when we are cooperating and working together," said Sheriff Bianco. 

"I can't even tell you the amount of resources that were expended to find this baby and to ultimately bring the people to justice responsible for the loss of this baby," Bianco added. 

Key days of the Emmanuel Haro case

Timeline:

See a timeline of key stages of the investigation below.

• Thursday, Aug. 14: Emmanuel Haro was reported missing and kidnapped from a strip mall on Yucaipa Boulevard and Sixth Street.
• Monday, Aug.18: Investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said there were "inconsistencies" with Rebecca Hero's story and that she had stopped cooperating with them. At that point, investigators were unable to rule out foul play in Emmanuel's disappearance.
• Tuesday, Aug. 19: In an update, officials said the search for Emmanuel had intensified across San Bernardino and Riverside counties, adding that K-9 units were deployed at the family's home where search warrants were served.  That same day, Jake Haro's attorney, Vincent Hughes, told FOX 11 that Jake and Rebecca Haro had been working with investigators and were receiving death threats. Hughes also alleged a reported sighting of Emmanuel in Bakersfield.
• Friday, Aug. 22: Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested on suspicion of murder at their Cabazon home, an unincorporated community in Riverside County about 20 miles west of Palm Springs.
• Sunday, Aug. 24: Jake Haro was seen in a remote area of Moreno Valley, near the 60 Freeway and Gilman Springs Road, in an orange jumpsuit assisting in the search for his baby's body. Cadaver dogs were also seen assisting deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office. That day, Rebecca Haro said in a jailhouse interview that her initial report was true.
• Tuesday, Aug. 26: The Riverside County District Attorney's Office charged Jake and Rebecca Haro. They were also charged with a misdemeanor for willingly filing a false police report.

What's next:

Jake and Rebecca Haro are due back in court for their arraignment on Sept. 4. 

The couple, represented by a public defender, did not enter a plea due to legal representation issues. The public defender's office can only represent one of them to avoid a conflict of interest.

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