Baby likely died from abuse before parents reported him missing, prosecutor says

A 7-month-old baby likely died from abuse by his parents before they made a false report that he was abducted, authorities said Wednesday.

Southern California prosecutors and sheriff’s authorities said they believe Emmanuel Haro was abused by his father Jake Haro, 32; and mother, Rebecca Haro, 41, who were arrested last week and have been charged with his murder.

The abuse allegations come amid a search for Emmanuel in the inland region east of Los Angeles. It began after Rebecca Haro reported on Aug. 14 that she was assaulted and left unconscious while changing her son’s diaper outside a store in the San Bernardino County community of Yucaipa. She said she awoke to find him missing.

“The filing in this case reflects our belief that baby Emmanuel was abused, a victim of child abuse over time, and that eventually, because of that abuse, he succumbed to those injuries,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin told reporters.

The couple is being held on $1 million bail each. They are scheduled to be arraigned next week.

Messages seeking comment were left Tuesday for the lawyer listed as representing them in online court records.

Authorities said they found inconsistencies in the mother’s account. They searched the couple’s home in the Riverside County community of Cabazon and arrested the Haros on Friday, announcing they believed the boy was dead.

Over the weekend, sheriff’s deputies searched for the boy’s remains in a field by a freeway in the presence of Jake Haro, who authorities said provided some cooperation. The boy’s body was not found and no additional information was provided about that search.