Investigators expand search in Yucaipa and Cabazon; ‘foul play’ not ruled out in 7-month-old’s disappearance
Garrett Hottle
CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) Investigators have conducted extensive searches in Yucaipa and Cabazon and are reviewing a large amount of surveillance video in the disappearance of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro, and they “are unable to rule out foul play,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Monday in an updated advisory.
Deputies were called at 7:47 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 to the 34500 block of Yucaipa Boulevard after Rebecca Haro reported she was assaulted by an unknown male and rendered unconscious while changing her child’s diaper beside her vehicle; when she awoke, Emmanuel was gone, the San Bernardino SHeriff’s Department said in a news release. Deputies and K-9 units from San Bernardino and Riverside counties searched the area that night, but Emmanuel was not located, according to the department.
In the days since, investigators served several search warrants at the Haro home that include the use of K-9s, and collected and are reviewing surveillance video from areas of interest, the sheriff’s department said in an Aug. 18 advisory.
Detectives interviewed multiple people, including Emmanuel’s parents, Jake and Rebecca Haro. During those interviews, Rebecca was confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement and declined to continue, the sheriff’s department said. At this point in the investigation, foul play cannot be ruled out, according to the department.
Separately, Riverside County District Attorney’s Office records show Jake Mitchell Haro has a prior felony conviction arising from an Oct. 12, 2018 offense. The DA’s office said Haro pleaded guilty on June 8, 2023, to a felony child cruelty charge, which was prosecuted by the office’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit. Haro was placed on four years of felony probation and ordered to serve 180 days in jail on the work-release program; six years in prison were suspended as part of the plea, according to records from the Riverside County District Attorney’s office.
According to a felony complaint filed Oct. 5, 2021, in Riverside County Superior Court, both Jake Mitchell Haro and Vanessa Avina (aka Vanessa Haro) were charged with Penal Code §273a(a) involving a child identified as Jane Doe.
News Channel Three’s Garrett Hottle spoke with both Jake Haro and Vincet Hughes, Haro’s attorney off camera outside the Haro home in Cabazon. Dozens of people including community residents, content creators, and reporters stood outside the home Monday. Jake Haro telling News Channel Three’s Garrett Hottle he feels like he’s being harassed at time when his child is missing. We did press for an on-camera interview from both the Jake Haro and his attorney. We’ll update you with any additional information as soon as it comes in.
Anyone with information in Emmanuel’s case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division at 909-890-4904 or We-Tip at 800-78-CRIME (27463) or wetip.com, the sheriff’s department said.