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

MORENO VALLEY, CA — Authorities were searching Sunday in the Badlands for the remains of missing 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro, whose parents were arrested Friday on suspicion of killing him, but officials did not find the infant, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.

The search Sunday afternoon took place along the westbound shoulder of the 60 Freeway near Gilman Springs Road in Moreno Valley, the agency said in a social media post. Investigators were assisted by cadaver dogs and Jake Haro, the baby’s father, was present, according to authorities.

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

Jake Haro, 32, and Rebecca Haro, 41, parents of the missing baby, were arrested at their home in Cabazon a week after they told police that their son had been kidnapped in Yucaipa on Aug. 14. Police say they have determined that a kidnapping never happened.

Rebecca Haro told police she was changing her child's diaper in the parking lot of a Big 5 Sporting Goods when she was knocked unconscious by a stranger, who then took the infant, according to a statement from the sheriff's department.

Since then, Rebecca Haro has been accused of being inconsistent in her telling of the events.

A young child at the Haro's family home was removed Aug. 17 by Riverside County Child and Family Services officers, according to Mara Rodriguez, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Jake Haro has a criminal history in Riverside County involving child abuse.

In 2018, he and his then-partner, Vanessa Haro or Vanessa Avina, were charged in Riverside County with felony child cruelty. He pleaded guilty in 2023 and was later sentenced to four years' probation, with an additional 180 days to be served in jail through the work release program. The court suspended a six-year prison sentence as part of his plea, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.