Emmanuel Haro, a 7-month-old from California, went missing after his mother said he was kidnapped.

PALM SPRINGS, CA — The parents of Emmanuel Haro, the missing 7-month-old California boy, have been formally charged with murder and falsely reporting that he had been kidnapped earlier this month, prosecutors said.

Jake Haro and Rebecca Haro, who appeared briefly in court on Aug. 26, face charges of murder and knowingly making a false report of a crime in a complaint filed by the Riverside County District Attorney. The Haros were arrested at their home in Cabazon, California, on Aug. 22 and are both being held on a $1 million bail.

The Haros will be arraigned on Sept. 4.

Rebecca Haro first reported that she was attacked and that Emmanuel was kidnapped from a shopping center in Yucaipa on Aug. 14. San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies responded to that report at about 7:50 p.m. local time. She told them she was knocked unconscious while she was changing the child's diaper.

Authorities searched the area but did not find the baby.

After the report, investigators claimed to have found inconsistencies in the mother's story, leading to her and Jake Haro becoming suspects and soon being arrested.

"During those interviews, Rebecca was confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement and declined to continue with the interview," authorities said in an Aug. 16 news release. "At this point in the investigation, investigators are unable to rule out foul play in the disappearance of Emmanuel."

Who are Jake and Rebecca Haro?

Jake and Rebecca Haro are both charged in the murder of their 7-month-old son Emmanuel, whose body has not been found since his reported kidnapping on Aug. 14.

One of Jake and Rebecca Haro's other children was removed from the family's home by Riverside County Children's Services, according to Mara Rodriguez, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the Department of Public Social Services said that it couldn't comment on specific children or family cases, citing state confidentiality laws. The San Bernardino County Public Defender's Office did not immediately respond when contacted on Aug. 26.

What was Jake Haro's child cruelty charge?

Jake Haro, 32, was convicted of child cruelty in 2023 for an incident involving another child in the San Jacinto Valley, according to state court records obtained by USA TODAY. He was scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 2 for allegedly violating the terms of his probation soon before he was arrested alongside Rebecca in the current case, the court documents show.

Jake Haro reportedly told police that he accidentally dropped a baby girl while giving her a bath in a kitchen sink, resulting in those charges, according to the Los Angeles Times. Vincent Hughes, who is representing Jake Haro in the 2023 child cruelty case, did not respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment.

Has Emmanuel Haro been found?

As of Aug. 26, Emmanuel Haro has not been found. Investigators believe he is dead and that his parents fabricated the kidnapping story, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said on Aug. 22.

Before the arrests, authorities said they "conducted extensive searches" using K-9s in Yucaipa and Cabazon, and even seized a car belonging to the father for evidence processing, Rodriguez confirmed to USA TODAY on Aug. 20.

Jake Haro joined investigators in searching for his son off a freeway in Moreno Valley, the department said in an Aug. 24 social media post. Despite using cadaver dogs, the infant was not found, and authorities said they are continuing their search.

Timeline of Emmanuel Haro's disappearance

  • Aug. 14: Rebecca Haro reported that Emmanuel had been kidnapped outside a store in Yucaipa shortly before 8 p.m. local time. She said she was standing outside her car while changing his diaper when she was knocked unconscious by an unknown person who took the boy, according to a release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
  • Aug. 15: Rebecca Haro, with a visible black eye, said in interviews with KCAL and KTLA that the family was in the area for a football practice. She said she went to the store to buy a mouthguard.
  • Aug. 16: Investigators announced that they interviewed both Rebecca and Jake Haro. After confronting the mother about "inconsistencies" in her statements, she declined further cooperation, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a release.
  • Aug. 22: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested Rebecca and Jake Haro and charged them with murder.
  • Aug. 26: Rebecca and Jake Haro were charged with murder and falsely reporting Emmanuel's kidnapping.

Contributing: Melina Khan, Eduardo Cuevas, and Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Parents of Emmanuel Haro, the missing 7-month-old California boy, charged with murder

Reporting by Christopher Damien and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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