History Of Child Abuse Cornerstone Of DA’s Murder Case

CABAZON, CA — The disappearance of Emmanuel Haro has brought together Inland Empire sheriffs and district attorneys in a unified search for his remains and for justice, they stated at a news conference on Wednesday.

Authorities believe the baby was killed by his parents, shedding a stark light on Jake Haro’s history of child abuse allegations and the legal decision that left him free to kill his infant child this month, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, and the Riverside County District Attorney's office.

If convicted, the Haros are each facing a potential prison sentence of 25 years to life on the murder count, and an additional six months on the false statements count.

“The filing in this case reflects our belief that Baby Emmanuel was a victim of child abuse and ultimately succumbed to those injuries,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. “This baby was failed by his parents, and everyone who was close to him,” Hestrin said.

“We believe that (Emmanuel) was abused over a period of time, and that both parents were aware of the abuse,” he said. “Those are things that are evidence, that will appear in court.” He refused to speculate further on what happened to Emmanuel.

Read: Parents Killed Baby In Riverside County Between Aug. 5 And Aug. 14: DA

According to court records, there is a history of violence in the Haro family.

In 2018, Jake, along with his ex-wife, was prosecuted for child abuse, neglect and cruelty. That case also involved an infant. Hestrin said that Emmanuel’s half-sister did not die from the abuse she sustained seven years ago, but she is immobilized, suffers cerebral palsy and has the long-term effects of suffering multiple broken bones, head trauma and wounds that will never truly heal.

“Someone who does that to a child belongs in prison. Period. No question,” Hestrin said.
Instead of prison, Jake Haro was ultimately found guilty of child endangerment and was granted probation by a visiting judge in the Riverside County court system.

“The judge decided that Mr. Haro deserved an extra break and gave him 180 days of work release, which was like community service. We believed that Jake Haro should have gone to prison," Hestrin stated at the news conference.

During that time in court, Jake Haro learned crucial details that he employed during the search for the baby, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus.

Read also: Police Have 'Strong Indication' Of Where Baby Emmanuel's Remains Are Located

“What you’re dealing with is an experienced child abuser, who is aware of a previous case, who is aware of evidentiary things we are concerned with, so we’re going to take every step to not only work with any suspect or witness involved in this,” he said.

Since the Friday arrests, lead investigators have had “a certain level of cooperation” and now have “a strong indication of where the remains of baby Emmanuel are,” according to both Hestrin and Dicus.

There is no arm wrestling match between investigators or district attorneys in the neighboring counties, according to both San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, as well as Hestrin. All reiterated that they are uniformly concerned with bringing justice for baby Emmanuel.

“There is absolutely nothing, no crime, more important than injury to a human being, particularly a child,” Bianco said. He added that neither sheriff cares about jurisdiction in this case. “The original investigation started with Sheriff Dicus, and he has every available resource that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has to provide justice in this case.”

Even with murder charges, the defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, Hestrin reminded reporters present.

“I’m not here to try (Jake and Rebecca Haro) in the court of public opinion. However, having said that, it’s appropriate to have a press conference as it was the defendants who had a press conference first. They did that to tell the public that their child had been kidnapped. We are explaining how the case against them unfolded.”

The child was reported missing by Rebecca just after 7:45 p.m. on August 14. At that time, the mother told investigators that she was at a Big 5 Sporting Goods Store in the San Bernardino County city of Yucaipa and went to her vehicle to change Emmanuel's diaper when an unknown male attacked her.

Rebecca told deputies she was rendered unconscious during the assault, and when she came to, her child was missing, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Supporters came to lend aid, search, and try to find the baby. Still, in the days that followed the initial kidnapping report, the parents’ involvement came into question, according to Dicus.

“The parents' initial statements while trying to find Emmanuel became critical. The investigation started Aug. 14 when Rebecca reported her son was kidnapped, but we had no information, and nothing we could put out on an amber alert,” he said.

When her story did not match the evidence, warrants were served at the Haro home. Investigators spent hundreds of hours gathering forensic data from phones, Jake Haro’s vehicle and what Dicus referred to during the conference as “the crime scene.”

Through that process, it became clear that the crime against Emmanuel took place in Riverside County, Dicus said.

Sheriff Bianco spoke about his department’s cooperation in trying to find the missing baby. From the searches that were planned in Yucaipa to the numerous vigils held for baby Emmanuel outside the Haro’s property.

What has not helped, Bianco said, were the “social media and keyboard warriors who quite honestly hamper and prevent us from a good investigation.”

“There is no crime more important than injury to a human being, especially to a child,” he said. “It warms my heart that there is care and compassion still in this world, and that people do care about other people.”

Related:

4 Things To Know About The CA Case Of Missing Baby Emmanuel Haro

Search For Emmanuel Haro Takes Police To Badlands, But No Remains Found