Homicide detectives and a tactical squad of California sheriff deputies captured and jailed on Friday the parents of a baby boy they claimed was kidnapped, which authorities now allege was a lie.

Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested on murder charges at their Cabazon home after Rebecca Haro, the mother of seven-month-old Emmanuel Haro, had claimed her son was abducted outside a sporting goods store a week ago in Yucaipa, about 70 miles west of Los Angeles.

San Bernardino Sheriff’s homicide detectives now say the kidnapping never happened and believe the child is dead.

Emmanual Haro (San Bernadino County Sheriff)

According to a Sheriff’s Department statement released Friday:

During the investigation thus far, numerous interviews have been conducted, search warrants have been served, digital and electronic evidence has been collected and closely analyzed. Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur. It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing.

“While these arrests mark a significant development, our focus remains on finding Emmanuel,” the statement added, while also asking for anyone with more information on the missing child to contact the department.

As seen on video released by authorities and posted on X, the sheriff’s department spared no precautions in the arrest, arriving to the couple’s desert home in armor with tactical vehicles and cruisers.

Rebecca Haro, 41, was taken into custody first, followed by her 32-year-old husband Jake.

Both have been booked on murder charges and are being held in a Riverside County jail without bail. “No other arrests have been made, and no suspects remain outstanding,” authorities said.

The missing child case drew nationwide attention after the child’s mother told police an unknown man knocked her unconscious outside the sporting goods store while she was changing the tot’s diaper. When she came to, she said, her son was gone.

However, when investigators questioned her initial statement, the couple — who in interviews last week were asking for their son’s safe return — stopped cooperating with police, according to the county law enforcement agency.

“The circumstances surrounding this investigation are tragic, and we will continue to search for Emmanuel,” Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement, while also thanking other departments who were involved in the probe. “I trust our justice system will hold the parents accountable.”

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more