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Authorities in California believe it’s possible that 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro was killed up to nine days before his mother claimed he was kidnapped from a parking lot in San Bernardino County in the latest twist in the high-profile case.
Emmanuel’s parents, Rebecca and Jake Haro, were charged Tuesday with murder and filing a false police report after investigators concluded the couple’s claims about the alleged kidnapping were false, according to The Associated Press. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office has said they believe Emmanuel, who still remains missing, is dead.
In the wake of the charges, prosecutors filed court documents Tuesday that give new details into what authorities believe may have happened to Emmanuel, who was officially reported missing on August 14. The documents, reviewed by Los Angeles station KTLA, lay out the possibility that Emmanuel was killed sometime between Aug. 5 and Aug. 14, suggesting the baby may have been killed up to nine days before authorities ever knew he was missing.
Rebecca initially reported that she had been standing by her vehicle, changing Emmanuel’s diaper outside a retail store in Yucaipa on August14 when an unknown male “physically assaulted” her and knocked her unconscious, according to an earlier statement from the sheriff’s office. The 41-year-old went on to tell deputies that when she regained consciousness, Emmanuel was gone.
Extensive search launched for Emmanuel Haro
An “extensive search” was launched by law enforcement, which included the use of specially trained K-9 units, to find the baby, but Emmanuel was never located.
While interviewing Rebecca, detectives confronted her with “inconsistencies in her initial statement” and she opted to stop the interview. Her husband Jake, 32, later retained an attorney as the search for the missing 7-month-old continued.
Jake’s car was seized as potential evidence in the case on Aug. 19, the New York Post reported.
Rebecca and Jake were arrested days later on Friday Aug. 22 for suspicion of murder after the sheriff’s office concluded that the kidnapping “did not occur,” according to a statement from authorities.
“It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing,” the sheriff’s office said at the time.
What are Jake and Rebecca Haro charged with?
The Haros were officially charged Tuesday with murder and making a false report, and appeared in a California courtroom that same day. It’s unclear whether they had attorneys to represent them at the time, according to the AP.
During the brief hearing, a $1 million bail was set for each, ABC News reported. They are scheduled to return to court on Sept. 4.
After the pair were taken into custody Friday, Rebecca spoke with the Southern California News Group.
“I want to be out looking for my baby,” she told the news outlet. “I will not give up. I will not give up on my baby.”
Her husband was spotted on Sunday in an orange prison jumpsuit alongside law enforcement authorities as they searched for Emmanuel in Moreno Valley, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.
The search failed to produce any sign of the child.
