Parents of missing California 7-month-old reportedly target of investigation

The parents of a 7-month-old boy who claim the child was kidnapped last week are now reportedly the focus of the missing persons investigation, in which unsettling new details continue to emerge.  

Rebecca Haro initially claimed that her little boy, Emmanuel Haro, was kidnapped from the parking lot of a Big 5 Sporting Goods Store on Aug. 14 in Yucaipa after a stranger, who she claims she didn’t see, knocked her unconscious while she was changing the baby in the car, leaving her with a black eye.  

An AMBER Alert was never issued because there was no suspect or vehicle descriptions. 

Deputies from both the San Bernardino and Riverside county sheriff’s departments launched an extensive search, deploying helicopters and K-9 units, though ultimately neither the child nor a suspect were located.  

“There’s a lot of things that we’re reading that just don’t add up,” Cabazon resident Mary Espinoza, who has been following the story closely, told KTLA.  

Detectives with SBSD’s Specialized Investigations Division interviewed multiple people, including Rebecca and her husband Jake Haro. When confronted with inconsistencies in her story, investigators said she declined to continue talking.  

When authorities asked her to take a lie detector test, her husband reportedly refused the request until a lawyer was present.  

While investigators are being tight lipped about the investigation, the child’s grandmother, who insists the parents are innocent, told KTLA that deputies have searched the couple’s Cabazon residence with cadaver dogs and it was later learned that officials removed the Haro’s 2-year-old child from their custody while the investigation is pending.  

There have since been new revelations, including possible video of Rebecca with a bruised and black eye as early as Aug. 3, a claim that no one saw Emmanuel at the nearby park where the family gathered the day of the alleged kidnapping and Jake Haro’s felony conviction for willful child cruelty.  

The conviction stems from a 2018 arrest in Hemet, while Jake was married to another woman, Vanessa Avina, The Orange County Register reported.  

On Oct. 13, 2018, Haro and Avina’s 10-week-old daughter was admitted to Hemet Valley Hospital. Doctors reported to police that the little girl had an “acute” fractured rib, six ribs with “healing” fractures, a skull fracture, brain hemorrhage, swelling of the neck and a fractured leg bone that was “healing.”

“The combination of the above findings in a pre-mobile infant, in the absence of a plausible history of significant trauma to explain the injuries, is indicative of abuse (sic) head trauma, child physical abuse and nutritional neglect,” the officer wrote in an affidavit for a warrant obtained by The Register.

Haro reportedly blamed the baby’s injuries on his wife. Both were arrested and pleaded guilty to the charge in 2023.  

As the search for Emmanuel continues, investigators are now saying that they have not ruled out foul play and were again seen on the Haro’s Cabazon property Monday.  

The Uvalde Foundation for Kids, which had initially put up a $5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the 7-month-old, pulled the reward less than a day after announcing the offer, citing concerns over inconsistencies in Haro’s story.  

In the meantime, Rebecca and Jake, who initially made very public pleas for their son’s safe return, have removed their phone numbers from the missing persons fliers and were no longer answering their phones and have retained lawyers.

It is unclear which law firm is representing the couple and whether there has been a dialogue with investigators.