Rebecca and Jake Haro made emotional public pleas for the return of their seven-month-old son, Emmanuel, after claiming he was kidnapped during a random attack on his mother. The case soon collapsed when investigators found no evidence of the alleged assault, and Jake Haro later pleaded guilty to the baby's murder.
The Disappearance and Public Pleas
On August 14, 2025, Rebecca Haro reported that she was attacked in the parking lot of the sporting goods store Big 5 in Riverside County, California. She claimed she was knocked unconscious and woke to find her baby missing. The couple made multiple pleas for information, with Rebecca, 42, telling Eyewitness News, "Please, I'm begging you. Please, God, please."
Jake, 33, said in a video: "Somebody struck my wife while she was trying to change his diaper. We just ask if anybody knows anything, please contact the Kaipa Police Department. I'm hesitant to call. His name's Emmanuel. He's seven months old." He added, "He's just a baby. Just give our son back, please. Please bring us back our son."
Investigation Reveals Inconsistencies
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, the couple stopped cooperating with efforts to locate Emmanuel. Detectives reviewed security footage from the shopping centre and surrounding area and found no evidence of the alleged ambush or a suspect. Cyber detectives then analysed the parents' cell phone records and GPS history, uncovering that Jake Haro had searched for areas without security cameras. He later drove to Moreno Valley, where investigators theorised he disposed of Emmanuel's body.
Further evidence showed that the family home's Ring camera and internal security cameras had been intentionally destroyed before the baby was reported missing. The parents were also seen at a thrift store donating Emmanuel's new baby clothes and items days before the alleged kidnapping.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Jake and Rebecca were arrested and held in separate cells for interrogation. Jake admitted to killing the baby and throwing his remains into a trash bin when confronted with his criminal background, including a 2018 conviction for willful child cruelty. In that case, he had severely abused his 10-week-old daughter, leaving her permanently disabled and bedridden. He later changed his story, claiming he accidentally suffocated the baby while sleeping and buried him near a freeway.
Emmanuel's body was never found, but he was presumed dead. Prosecutors determined that while Jake committed the physical abuse, Rebecca failed to protect the infant, failed to seek medical care, and helped fabricate the false kidnapping story. During Jake's trial, Rebecca's mother, Mary Beushausen, said, "If I had known what was going on, I would have taken my daughter out of there forcefully, or I would have called the police. Everybody in my family, all of my children, are destroyed by this."
Jake pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison plus $10,000 in restitution. He received additional terms of six months plus six years and eight months for violating probation in the previous child abuse case. Rebecca initially pleaded not guilty but later pleaded guilty to felony child abuse or endangerment causing great bodily injury to a child under five, involuntary manslaughter, and accessory after the fact. She was sentenced to 12 years and eight months in state prison.
At her sentencing, a prosecutor said, "This resolution reflects what I believe the evidence shows happened in those months, weeks and days leading up to Emmanuel's murder. Jake Haro was sentenced in November to 32 years to life for his sins of commission. In other words, it was his hands that physically took Emmanuel's life." They added, "Rebecca Haro's plea and sentence today reflect her sins of omission. This defendant had a legal and moral responsibility as Emmanuel's mother, and she failed in that duty. And that's why she is here."
