ABC News August 22, 2025

Parents of missing 7-month-old child in California arrested for murder: Sheriff

WATCH: Police searching for baby after finding inconsistencies in mom's kidnapping story

The parents of a 7-month-old child who has been missing for over a week have been arrested for murder, authorities in California announced Friday.

Emmanuel Haro was reported missing on Aug. 14 at approximately 7:47 p.m. local time after the child's mother "reported being attacked outside a retail store on Yucaipa Boulevard," the sheriff's office said in a statement last week.

Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested at their residence in Cabazon, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said Friday. The two were last seen leaving the Riverside Superior Juvenile Courts on Wednesday.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
As the search for Emmanuel Haro, a missing 7-month-old child, seen here in this undated photo, continues, officials cannot "rule out foul play" as the mother's story has contained inconsistencies, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Officials previously said they could not "rule out foul play" in the child's disappearance, as the mother's statement has contained inconsistencies.

The mother, Rebecca Haro, told previously told officials that "while she stood outside her vehicle, changing the child's diaper, she was physically assaulted by an unknown male and rendered unconscious," officials said.

When she woke up, the child was gone, the mother told officials.

MORE: US Marshals operation leads to recovery or location of 60 critically missing children in Florida

Once on the scene, scent-tracking dogs were deployed, but the 7-month-old "was not located," officials said.

The sheriff's department interviewed "multiple individuals" regarding the disappearance, including the child's mother and father, Jake Haro.

"During those interviews, Rebecca was confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement and declined to continue with the interview," the sheriff's office said.

KABC
Rebecca Haro, the mother of a missing 7-month-old child, has had inconsistencies in her statement regarding the disappearance of her son, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office.

After those interviews, officials said they were "unable to rule out foul play in the disappearance of Emmanuel." Since then, officials have conducted "extensive" searches in the areas of Yucaipa and Cabazon and have also served "several search warrants at the Haro home." Authorities are also reviewing a "large amount of surveillance video" from the areas of interest.

In an interview with Los Angeles ABC station KABC on Saturday, the child's mother described her son as a "happy boy" and begged whoever has her son to "give him back to me."

"Please don't hurt my son," Rebecca Haro told KABC.

MORE: Missing 2-year-old Dane Paulsen found dead in Oregon

A spokesperson for the sheriff's department told KABC the father's vehicle was seized on Tuesday for evidence amid the investigation.

Jake Haro pleaded guilty to willful cruelty to a child following a 2018 arrest, KABC reported.

"Whoever took our soon, please bring him back," the father told KABC on Saturday.

San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail and Specialized Enforcement Division arrested Jake and Rebecca Haro at their residence in Cabazon, Calif., on Aug. 22, 2025. Investigators will continue their search for seven-month-old Emmanuel Haro.

The father's attorney said in a statement to ABC News earlier this week that he is "fully cooperating with law enforcement and investigators."

"Investigators will continue their search for seven-month-old Emmanuel Haro," the department said on Friday.

No additional details were immediately released on the arrest.