A memorial outside the home of missing 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro, in Cabazon, Calif., on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.

Emmanuel Haro died after prolonged abuse, officials alleged Aug. 27 as they continue to search for the 7-month-old's body.

On Aug. 26, Jake and Rebecca Haro, Emmanuel's parents, were each charged with murder and knowingly making a false report of a crime.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested them on Aug. 22 at their home in Cabazon, California, located about 25 miles northwest of Palm Springs.

Rebecca Haro initially told authorities the infant had been kidnapped Aug. 14 outside a store in nearby Yucaipa. Investigators determined the kidnapping never occurred, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a release.

In an interview with The Press-Enterprise from jail on Aug. 24, Rebecca Haro maintained that her son was kidnapped and she and her husband would not hurt the infant.

Brian Cosgrove, a deputy public defender, represented both Jake and Rebecca Haro at their court hearing on Aug. 26. In statements to the media outside the courthouse, Cosgrove did not comment on the allegations, saying he knows nothing about the case beyond the limited information in the complaint.

Emmanuel Haro was abused, DA alleges

Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said at a news conference on Aug. 27 that investigators believe Emmanuel Haro's death was a result of prolonged abuse.

"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," he said.

Hestrin also said officials have "a pretty strong indication" of where Emmanuel's body is, but search operations are still underway.

"We don't know exactly where the remains are," Hestrin said. "We have some ideas in terms of where we're going to look and where we're going to continue to investigate."

Prosecutors are not pursuing the death penalty against Jake and Rebecca Haro in this case, and they didn't present the couple with plea bargains, Hestrin said.

"We're interested in a trial and getting to justice," Hestrin said.

DA calls past judgment against Jake Haro in child cruelty case 'outrageous'

Hestrin also addressed Jake Haro's previous child cruelty conviction, which stemmed from a 2018 incident involving another child in San Jacinto Valley, according to state court records obtained by USA TODAY.

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.

In that case, a judge sentenced Jake Haro to probation in 2023. 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.

The probation sentence was "an outrageous error in judgment," Hestrin said.

"That decision was absolutely outrageous. Mr. Haro should have been in prison at the time that this crime happened," Hestrin said. "And if that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today. And that's a shame and it's an outrage."

Hestrin also said the child victim in the previous case is "permanently bedridden" because of a cerebral palsy diagnosis from "long-term child abuse."

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.
  • Aug. 27: Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin said officials believe Emmanuel died after long-term child abuse.

Contributing: Christopher Damien, Anthony Robledo, Eduardo Cuevas, Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY Network

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emmanuel Haro died from long-term abuse, district attorney alleges

Reporting by Melina Khan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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