The father of a missing California infant has reportedly admitted to killing the child and hiding his body, sources said.
Jake Haro allegedly confessed to an undercover informant posing as a jail inmate that he killed his 7-month-old son, Emmanuel, and placed the body in the trash, sources told NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin. Haro allegedly first told police he accidentally suffocated the boy by rolling over in bed before later burying the body. (RELATED: Judge Sentences Man Who Faked Death, Allegedly Left Family To Meet Other Woman)
Haro’s wife, Rebecca, initially claimed the boy had been kidnapped outside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Yucaipa on Aug. 14. Both parents appeared in court Tuesday, where they were charged with murder, according to ABC7 News. Prosecutors also charged the couple with filing a false police report, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
The couple stopped cooperating with police soon after Rebecca reported the alleged kidnapping. On Sunday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office searched an area along the 60 Freeway east of Moreno Valley but did not find the child’s body. Jake Haro was present at the scene but refused to assist investigators, ABC7 News reported.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has taken over the case, saying the killing occurred in its jurisdiction. San Bernardino deputies had initially treated the matter as a missing-person case. Prosecutors said the couple also faced prior abuse allegations.
In 2018, Jake pleaded guilty to willful child cruelty, according to ABC7. More recently, deputies investigated a child abuse complaint in Moreno Valley that was tied to the Haros.
The couple is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 4, Fox 11 News reported.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to the Caller’s request for comment.
Editor’s note: Article updated to directly link to NewsNation’s report.