New details concerning Emmanuel Haro’s likely death have come to light.
Nearly two weeks after Rebecca Haro and Jake Haro reported their 7-month-old baby missing, with authorities later charging the couple with murder due to inconsistencies in their story, Mike Herstin, a district attorney in Riverside, Calif., has shared insight into the baby’s disappearance.
“The evidence shows that baby Emmanuel endured ongoing abuse that ultimately took his life,” Herstin said in an Aug. 27 press conference. “Our office is committed to ensuring that justice is done for this child and that his short life is not forgotten.”
During the same conference, Herstin noted that neither Rebecca nor Jake have officially confessed to their son’s murder, but authorities “have a strong indication” of where the baby’s remains are buried.
E! News has attempted to reach Rebecca and Jake’s attorney for comment, but has not yet heard back.
In a complaint previously obtained by E! News, prosecutors detailed that Emmanuel likely died at some point between Aug. 5 and Aug. 14.
Rebecca, 41, and Jake, 32, reported their son missing Aug. 14, claiming that Rebecca had been attacked while changing her son’s diaper in a sporting goods store parking lot, and Emmanuel was abducted after she was knocked unconscious. In addition to their murder charge, the couple—who were arrested Aug. 22—have been charged with one count of filing a false police report for, the authorities believe, fabricating the story.
“Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in an Aug. 23 Instagram post. “It is believed Emmauel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing.
The following day, Jake—who was previously pleaded guilty to a child abuse charge in 2023—was spotted in an orange prison jumpsuit assisting in the search for the 7-month-old.
Rebecca, for her part, has maintained her original story that her son was kidnapped.
“I will not give up,” she told a reporter for the Southern California News Group, per its publication ThePress-Enterprise. “I will not give up on my baby.”
She also continues to defend her husband—with whom she also shares another 2-year-old daughter.
“He is a good dad,” Rebecca told the Southern California News Group Aug. 24. “He would never hurt a baby.”
Keep reading for more on the case…
Aug. 14: Rebecca Haro reports Emmanuel missing
On the evening of Aug. 14, 2025, Rebecca Haro reported her and husband Jake Haro‘s 7-month-old baby boy Emmanuel missing, claiming he was kidnapped at a Big 5 sporting goods store in Yucaipa, Calif. while she was changing his diaper.
“I was going to get the diaper and somebody said, ‘Hola,’ and I don’t remember anything since,” she told KTLA 5 Aug. 15. “I woke up here on the floor and I didn’t see Emmanuel.”
The San Bernardino County Sheriff later shared a press release regarding the search for Emmanuel.
“This is an active investigation, and we are seeking the public’s help in locating the child,” the police department wrote in an Instagram post. “He was last seen wearing a black Nike onesie, he weighs about 21 pounds, is approximately 24 inches tall, has brown hair, brown eyes, and is cross-eyed.”
Aug. 22: Rebecca Haro and Jake Haro are arrested
Days into the search for the child, authorities noted that Jake had retained an attorney and they were beginning to notice “inconsistencies” in Rebecca’s kidnapping story. Two days later, on Aug. 22, 2025, Jake and Rebecca were arrested and charged with the murder of their son, and for making a false police report.
“This morning, detectives from the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail and Specialized Enforcement Division arrested Jake and Rebecca Haro at their residence in Cabazon for PC 187 – Murder,” authorities wrote in an Instagram post on the day of the arrest, adding in a subsequent post one day later: “Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur. It is believed Emmauel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing.”
Despite their arrest, both parents maintained their innocence.
“I will not give up,” Rebecca told a reporter from the Southern California News Group, per its publication the Press-Enterprise. “I will not give up on my baby.”
And after a previous child endangerment charge Jake was given in 2021—which he pleaded guilty to in 2023—resurfaced, Rebecca maintained in the same interview, “He would never hurt a baby.”
Aug. 27: District Attorney details alleged abuse of Emmanuel
In a press conference on Aug. 27, 2025, Mike Herstin, a California district attorney, came forward with details authorities had uncovered about the alleged abuse inflicted upon Emmanuel.
“The evidence shows that baby Emmanuel endured ongoing abuse that ultimately took his life,” Herstin said. “Our office is committed to ensuring that justice is done for this child and that his short life is not forgotten.”
Aug. 27: Authorities estimate when Emmanuel was likely killed
In a complaint submitted by prosecutors and obtained by E! News on Aug. 27, 2025, they wrote that Emmanuel died “on or about August 05, 2025, through and including August 14, 2025, in the County of Riverside, State of California, the defendant(s) did willfully and unlawfully murder.”
The estimated timeline could indicate that Emmanuel was dead for as long as nine days before Rebecca reported his alleged kidnapping.
Aug. 27: Jake Haro speaks out
In a brief interview with The Orange County Register on Aug. 27, 2025, Jake said the allegations made by Herstin during the press conference about his son’s disappearance were “not true at all.”
The father—who also shares a young daughter with Rebecca—declined to speak further about his son’s disappearance at the recommendation of his attorney.
“God is with us,” he added to the outlet. “The allegations are horrendous, so of course people are going to be riled up.”
He noted that if he could tell his son one thing, it would be, “I love you, buddy.”
