Authorities investigating the disappearance of a 7-month-old boy in California have reportedly shifted their focus to the child’s parents as investigators question the mother’s story and the father’s criminal history.
Rebecca Haro alleged that her son, Emmanuel, was kidnapped from a Yucaipa parking lot on Aug. 14 after a stranger struck her unconscious while she changed the baby in her car, according to KTLA. She claimed she awoke with a black eye and discovered the child missing. Deputies from San Bernardino and Riverside counties conducted search operations with helicopters and K-9 units without success. No suspect or vehicle description emerged and no AMBER Alert was issued.
Detectives later confronted Haro over her account’s inconsistencies, after which she refused to continue speaking, investigators said. When asked to take a polygraph test, her husband, Jake Haro, allegedly refused without a lawyer present. Detectives have since searched the couple’s Cabazon home with cadaver dogs, the baby’s grandmother told KTLA.
The grandmother claimed the parents were innocent. Authorities removed the Haros’ 2-year-old child from their custody while the case remains active.
As the search for the 7-month-old boy continues, investigators have reportedly turned their attention to the baby’s parents, who have lawyered up and stopped cooperating with investigators. https://t.co/3xY8m2GJDG
— KTLA (@KTLA) August 19, 2025
Police allegedly received a claim that nobody observed Emmanuel at a nearby park the day of the alleged kidnapping, KTLA reported. Haro may have had a black eye as far back as Aug. 3, according to potential footage. Jake pleaded guilty in 2023 to felony child cruelty related to injuries suffered by a baby girl during a previous marriage, according to court documents obtained by the Orange County Register. (RELATED: Couple Arrested After Mom Allegedly Sells 2-Year-Old Daughter To Meth Dealer)
Investigators said they are still considering foul play. The Uvalde Foundation for Kids, which previously offered a $5,000 reward for information resulting in the child’s rescue, withdrew it while citing concerns over Haro’s account. The Haros, once vocal in appeals for their son’s return, have reportedly since retained attorneys and stopped answering calls.