Emmanuel Haro’s dad is maintaining his innocence.
Nearly a week after Jake Haro and his wife Rebecca Haro were arrested for the murder of their missing 7-month-old son, the 32-year-old spoke out, telling The Orange County Register that the allegations made by authorities against the couple were “not true at all.”
“I want to talk about it, but I can’t,” Jake continued in an interview published Aug. 27, referring to instructions from his attorney. “I was told, don’t do no press.”
Jake—who along with Rebecca was arrested and charged with the murder of Emmanuel as well as filing a false police report Aug. 22—is currently being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning with a $1 million bail set.
The father—who also shares a 2-year-old daughter with Rebecca and a 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship—told the California local outlet that he has been “completely cooperative” with authorities.
Jake also addressed his past criminal history. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to child cruelty over a 2018 incident in which his 10-week-old daughter was reported to have multiple bone fractures, retinal hemorrhages and brain injuries that have left her permanently disabled.
In the recent interview, Jake told The Orange Country Register he “wanted” the case to go to trial, but was unable to afford the legal fees, leading to his guilty plea. While noting the sentence—180 days in the sheriff’s work-release program and required attendance of a child-abuser treatment program—was “fair,” he maintained the occurrence for which he was charged was an accident.
“I was sick of court,” he said, alleging, “Somehow, they magically convinced me to take this damn plea deal.”
However, a representative of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office Communications Division told E! News there was “no plea agreement” with their office in the 2023 case.
“The defendant pled directly to the court,” DA Information Specialist John Hall said in a statement. “In any case where a defendant pleads to the court, like this one, they enter guilty pleas to all counts and the judge decides and renders the sentence. We strongly opposed the plea to the court in this case.”
E! News previously reached out to his lawyers regarding Emmanuel’s case but has not yet heard back.
As for his wife Rebecca, Jake also insisted the 41-year-old is innocent.
“The media is killing her,” he said. “She is a beautiful woman. She loves her children.”
Even so, Jake admitted he understands the scrutiny he and his wife are under.
“The allegations are horrendous, so of course people are going to be riled up,” he said. “God is with us.”
If there was one thing Jake could say to his 7-month-old, he said, “I love you, buddy.”
In a statement to the Orange County Register, the San Bernardino sheriff’s department declined to comment on Jake’s interview.
“We are not going to comment on statements made by the suspect,” the statement read. “Nor provide any details about the investigation.”
While Rebecca is currently being held at Robert Presley Detention Center, she similarly echoed her husband’s sentiment.
“I will not give up,” she told a reporter from the Southern California News Group, per its publication the Press-Enterprise Aug. 25. “I want to be out looking for my baby.”
For a deeper look into the case, keep reading…
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.”
