Jake Haro Pleads Guilty to Murdering Baby Emmanuel Haro After Kidnapping Hoax
Jake Haro has confessed to killing his son Emmanuel Haro.
Less than two months after the 7-month-old’s parents Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested for his murder on Aug. 22, Jake has now pled guilty to three charges.
The 32-year-old pled guilty to one count each of murder, child endangerment and filing a false police report, according to an Oct. 16 press release from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. The attorney’s office said that Jake’s “guilty pleas were to the court and not a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office,” explaining that in such cases “the judge in the case determines the sentence a defendant will serve.” Jake faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
His sentence is set for Nov. 3, the same day wife Rebecca—who has not entered a plea yet—is scheduled to have her preliminary hearing on charges of murder and filing a false police report.
According to a complaint filed by the district attorney on Oct. 16 and obtained by E! News, both Jake and Rebecca remain in custody with bail set at $1 million.
E! News has reached out to Jake and Rebecca’s lawyers for comment but has not heard back.
San Bernardino County Sheriff
Rebecca, 41, and Jake, 32—who also shared a 2-year-old daughter—reported Emmanuel missing on Aug. 14, saying that Rebecca had been attacked while changing his diaper in the parking lot of a sporting goods store, according to KTLA 5. She alleged that she was knocked unconscious and when she came to, Emmanuel was nowhere to be seen. However, authorities believed the couple fabricated the story.
“Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in an Aug. 23 Instagram post. “It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing.”
After his Aug. 22 arrest, Jake told the Southern California News Group that the allegations made by authorities against the couple were “not true at all,” according to The Orange County Register.
“I want to talk about it, but I can’t,” he explained, referring to instructions from his attorney. “I was told, don’t do no press.”
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
As for Rebecca, she also spoke out, maintaining her belief that Emmanuel had been kidnapped.
“I will not give up,” she told a reporter from the Southern California News Group, per its publication the Press-Enterprise. “I will not give up on my baby.”
Rebecca later added, “I want to be out looking for my baby.”
While his body has not been found, prosecutors said the infant likely died at some point between Aug. 5 and Aug. 14, per a complaint previously obtained by E! News.
Authorities also believe Emmanuel was suffering long before his death, with a district attorney in Riverside, Calif., Mike Herstin saying in an Aug. 27 press conference, “The evidence shows that baby Emmanuel endured ongoing abuse that ultimately took his life.”
“Our office is committed to ensuring that justice is done for this child,” he continued, “and that his short life is not forgotten.”
For a deeper dive into the tragic case, keep reading.
San Bernardino County Sheriff
Aug. 14: Rebecca Haro reports Emmanuel missing
On the evening of Aug. 14, 2025, Rebecca Haro reported her and husband Jake Haro‘s 7-month-old baby boy Emmanuel missing, claiming he was kidnapped at a Big 5 sporting goods store in Yucaipa, Calif. while she was changing his diaper.
“I was going to get the diaper and somebody said, ‘Hola,’ and I don’t remember anything since,” she told KTLA 5 Aug. 15. “I woke up here on the floor and I didn’t see Emmanuel.”
The San Bernardino County Sheriff later shared a press release regarding the search for Emmanuel.
“This is an active investigation, and we are seeking the public’s help in locating the child,” the police department wrote in an Instagram post. “He was last seen wearing a black Nike onesie, he weighs about 21 pounds, is approximately 24 inches tall, has brown hair, brown eyes, and is cross-eyed.”
KTLA
Aug. 22: Rebecca Haro and Jake Haro are arrested
Days into the search for the child, authorities noted that Jake had retained an attorney and they were beginning to notice “inconsistencies” in Rebecca’s kidnapping story. Two days later, on Aug. 22, 2025, Jake and Rebecca were arrested and charged with the murder of their son, and for making a false police report.
“This morning, detectives from the Sheriff’s Homicide Detail and Specialized Enforcement Division arrested Jake and Rebecca Haro at their residence in Cabazon for PC 187 – Murder,” authorities wrote in an Instagram post on the day of the arrest, adding in a subsequent post one day later: “Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur. It is believed Emmauel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing.”
Despite their arrest, both parents maintained their innocence.
“I will not give up,” Rebecca told a reporter from the Southern California News Group, per its publication the Press-Enterprise. “I will not give up on my baby.”
And after a previous child endangerment charge Jake was given in 2021—which he pleaded guilty to in 2023—resurfaced, Rebecca maintained in the same interview, “He would never hurt a baby.”
Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images
Aug. 27: District Attorney details alleged abuse of Emmanuel
In a press conference on Aug. 27, 2025, Mike Herstin, a California district attorney, came forward with details authorities had uncovered about the alleged abuse inflicted upon Emmanuel.
“The evidence shows that baby Emmanuel endured ongoing abuse that ultimately took his life,” Herstin said. “Our office is committed to ensuring that justice is done for this child and that his short life is not forgotten.”
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Aug. 27: Authorities estimate when Emmanuel was likely killed
In a complaint submitted by prosecutors and obtained by E! News on Aug. 27, 2025, they wrote that Emmanuel died “on or about August 05, 2025, through and including August 14, 2025, in the County of Riverside, State of California, the defendant(s) did willfully and unlawfully murder.”
The estimated timeline could indicate that Emmanuel was dead for as long as nine days before Rebecca reported his alleged kidnapping.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Aug. 27: Jake Haro speaks out
In a brief interview with The Orange County Register on Aug. 27, 2025, Jake said the allegations made by Herstin during the press conference about his son’s disappearance were “not true at all.”
The father—who also shares a young daughter with Rebecca—declined to speak further about his son’s disappearance at the recommendation of his attorney.
“God is with us,” he added to the outlet. “The allegations are horrendous, so of course people are going to be riled up.”
He noted that if he could tell his son one thing, it would be, “I love you, buddy.”
Shutterstock
Oct. 16: Jake Haro pleads guilty
Jake pled guilty to one count each of murder, child endangerment and filing a false police report, according to an Oct. 16 press release from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
He faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
His sentence is set for Nov. 3, the same day wife Rebecca—who has not entered a plea yet—is scheduled to have her preliminary hearing on charges of murder and filing a false police report.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Leave a comment