Search Ongoing for Baby Missing in Southern California After Alleged Kidnapping

The baby’s mother has stopped cooperating with law enforcement, officials said.

A new housing project overlooks a rural landscape in San Bernardino County, near Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., on July 11, 2007. David McNew/Getty Images

Sheriff’s officials have not ruled out foul play in the disappearance of a 7-month-old baby, Emmanuel Haro, who was reported missing by his mother in San Bernardino County, Calif., on Aug. 14.

Authorities were still searching for the baby after his mother, Rebecca Haro, stopped cooperating with them.

Rebecca Haro told police she was standing outside her car changing her baby’s diaper at about 7:45 p.m. Aug. 14 next to Big 5 Sporting Goods in Yucaipa, California, when she was physically assaulted by an unknown man and rendered unconscious. When she awoke, she had a black eye and her baby was missing, according to authorities.

Deputies and K9 units were dispatched in San Bernardino and Riverside counties to start an extensive search for the baby, but he was not located.

Based on the circumstances, the sheriff’s specialized investigators responded to help with the investigation.

Detectives interviewed multiple people, including Rebecca Haro and the baby’s father, Jake Haro.

During the interviews, Rebecca Haro was asked about inconsistencies in her initial statement and ended the interview, the sheriff’s department reported.

“At this point in the investigation, investigators are unable to rule out foul play in the disappearance of Emmanuel,” the sheriff’s office reported.

On Aug. 17, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced it was continuing to investigate the baby’s disappearance.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as this investigation continues,” the sheriff’s department reported. “He has not been located, and our investigators remain committed to finding him. Information will be released as soon as it becomes available.”

The sheriff’s department urged the public to report any information to authorities.

An AMBER Alert was not issued for the alleged kidnapping as it did not meet official criteria of requiring a suspect or vehicle description.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on East 3rd Street in San Bernardino, Calif., in May 2022. Google Maps/Screenshot via California Insider

Community members held a candlelight vigil on Aug. 17.

Authorities were spotted at a Cabazon home over the weekend, where the family lives, using cadaver dogs, according to KTLA 5.

The national Uvalde Foundation for Kids, a child advocacy group, has called off an independent search for the baby boy and rescinded its $5,000 reward offer for information on the missing child.

“Something is not right in this whole picture,” the foundation’s national director, Daniel Chapin, said in a statement. “We hope law enforcement will continue to pursue the case so that this precious child may be found and placed in a safe environment.”

Chapin said the foundation couldn’t continue to utilize their team and resources when so much information in the case was missing.

“Of particular concern to us lies within the inconsistencies in the details and the sudden decision by the mother to end communication with law enforcement and our team originally prepared to help,” Chapin said. “Tell me, what parent would do that who was missing a child?”

Meanwhile, more details about the baby’s father—Jake Mitchell Haro—have emerged. According to Riverside County Superior Court records, he was convicted in June 2023 for felony child cruelty relating to a 2018 arrest in Hemet, The Orange County Register reported. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 48 months of probation, court records showed.

Jake’s attorney on Aug. 18 told local media that his client would soon be making a statement to address concerns about this child abuse conviction.