Baby Emmanuel Haro's father seen with deputies in remote Moreno Valley, California amid search for child's body
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MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — The twists and turns continue in the murder mystery of a baby who was first reported missing nearly two weeks ago.

The parents of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro were arrested last week on suspicion of murder.

More than a dozen vehicles with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department were parked alongside the 60 Freeway, east of Moreno Valley, on Sunday afternoon in a remote, hilly stretch of land known as the Badlands.

Investigators searched the steep terrain with cadaver dogs, looking for baby Emmanuel, who is presumed dead.

Missing Southern California baby Emmanuel Haro.

Missing Southern California baby Emmanuel Haro.

KGO-TV

Jake Haro, the baby’s 32-year-old father, was spotted with deputies at the location on Sunday, dressed in a red jumpsuit. The department noted that Jake was at the scene with investigators, but was not helping in the search.

At the end of the day, the search crews left, and the body of baby Emmanuel was not discovered. Crews had not returned to the location on Monday, but officials say the overall search continues.

“The search has concluded, and Emmanuel was not located,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement. “The investigation to find Emmanuel continues.”

His disappearance has drawn widespread attention, not only in Southern California, but across the nation.

His mother, 41-year-old Rebecca Haro, first made a tearful plea for the public to help find baby Emmanuel after she claimed she’d been attacked in a Big 5 parking lot in Yucaipa on Aug. 14. She reported that her baby had been kidnapped.

“Please give him back to me, I beg you, please. Just give him back to me. Please don’t harm my son, please, I’m begging you, please. God, please,” she said to Eyewitness News on Aug. 15.

Not long after the interview, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said the couple had stopped cooperating with their investigators. Some viewers said it was strange that in our interview, Jake spoke about his son in the past tense.

“He was a healthy baby. He was crawling. He was kicking. He was playing with his toys. He was a 7-month-old, he was our 7-month-old,” Jake told Eyewitness News on Aug. 15.

One week later, both parents were arrested at their Cabazon home. Now, a memorial for the 7-month-old boy grows outside of the home, with people who didn’t even know him stopping by to pay their respects.

In an interview with the Southern California News Group over the weekend, Rebecca said, “I will not give up. I will not give up on my baby.”

The case is being investigated by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department because the missing person’s case originated in Yucaipa, but the case is now in the hands of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office because investigators believe the alleged murder happened in Riverside County.

Rebecca and Jake have not yet been charged. If they are charged with murder, they could be arraigned in court on Tuesday in Riverside.

Officials have conducted “extensive” searches in the areas of Yucaipa and Cabazon and have also served “several search warrants at the Haro home.” Authorities are also reviewing a “large amount of surveillance video” from the areas of interest.

According to Riverside County records, Jake pleaded guilty to willful cruelty to a child following a 2018 arrest.

Deputies say the Haros are also at the center of other reports of abuse.

Riverside County sheriff’s deputies say they responded to a call of child abuse at a home in the 23000 block of Cottonwood Avenue in Moreno Valley on Thursday afternoon. They confirmed the investigation is related to the Haros.

Deputies said the investigation into the alleged abuse is ongoing. No further details were released.

Rebecca is currently being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center, while Jake is being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, according to jail records. Both are currently held without bail, the sheriff’s office said.

ABC News contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.

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