Prosecutors in Riverside County, California, have charged Jake Mitchell Haro, 32, and his wife, Rebecca Renee Haro, 41, with murder and filing a false police report in the presumed death of their 7-month-old son, Emmanuel. Both appeared briefly in court on 26 August, where bail was set at $1 million each; their arraignment is scheduled to resume on 4 September. The couple had told authorities on 14 August that Emmanuel was kidnapped after Rebecca Haro was allegedly knocked unconscious while changing the child’s diaper outside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Yucaipa. Investigators soon identified inconsistencies in the account, determined no abduction occurred and, after executing several search warrants, arrested the parents at their Cabazon home on 22 August. At a joint news conference on 27 August, District Attorney Mike Hestrin and Sheriffs Chad Bianco and Shannon Dicus said evidence indicates Emmanuel died from prolonged abuse sometime between 5 and 14 August. While the infant’s body has not been found, officials said they have a “strong indication” of its location and continue to search areas near Moreno Valley, including stretches of State Route 60 where the father accompanied deputies during a weekend canvass. Authorities also disclosed that Jake Haro pleaded guilty in 2023 to child abuse involving another infant and was given probation rather than prison time, a decision Hestrin called an “outrageous error in judgment.” Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty in the current case but said they will pursue a trial to secure convictions.