Parents charged with murder of baby after allegedly faking his kidnap
“We believe baby Emmanuel was subject to abuse over time, and because of that abuse, he succumbed to his injuries."
The parents of a 7-month-old baby who was allegedly kidnapped as his mum changed his nappy in the US have been charged with the little boy’s murder – with cops stating they have a “pretty strong indication” on the location of the remains.
Emmanuel Haro was reported missing on August 14 after his mother Rebecca Haro, 41, claimed she was “attacked outside a retail store” in California at around 7.47pm.
But authorities said earlier this week that there were inconsistencies in Rebecca’s claims, prompting police to probe into the mother’s story and also questioned Emmanuel’s father Jake, 32.
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"Please come and bring my son back"
A furious search for the missing bub, who Rebecca claimed was snatched by an unknown man that assaulted and knocked her out, quickly ensued.
Both parents appeared on TV to plead for their son’s safe return in interviews.
“If you know anything, please come forward or take him to the cops,” Rebecca told KTLA as she sported a black eye.
“Please come and bring my son back. I’m begging you.”
During the hunt, authorities obtained several search warrants for the Haro home, with investigators reviewing troves of surveillance footage, the New York Post reported.
A week after Emmanuel’s disappearance, his parents were arrested in dramatic scenes captured outside their home on police bodycam footage.
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The boy is tragically now presumed to be dead
The couple were formally charged with murder and filing a false police report two days later, with new details about the case – including a potential timeline of the child’s alleged murder – emerging during the couple’s first court appearance, local news outlets reported.
“We believe baby Emmanuel was subject to abuse over time, and because of that abuse, he succumbed to his injuries,” Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin told reporters during a press conference held on Wednesday.
Authorities now believe that Emmanuel was killed days before he was reportedly abducted, with the last known sighting of the child occurring on August 5, according PEOPLE.
The boy is tragically now presumed to be dead, with police stating they have a “pretty strong indication” on the location of his remains.
On Sunday, officials were seen searching for the 7-month-old along a dusty highway in the Moreno Valley with the accused father and cadaver dogs accompanying detectives.
That search concluded after “Emmanuel was not located,” the New York Post reported.
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Officials also claimed that the child’s father, whom they described as an “experienced child abuser”, “should have gone to prison” due to previously abusing another child he had with his ex-wife back in 2018, but a judge at the time granted him probation.
Attorney Michael Hestrin described the ruling as an “outrageous error in judgment”.
Authorities said that the child in that case has been left bedridden, according to ABC News.
Rebecca and Jake Haro are both currently being held without bail.
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Originally published as Parents charged with murder of baby after allegedly faking his kidnap
