New details are emerging in the shocking case of Emmanuel Haro.
Police say they are confident the infant was murdered.
According to a new report, Emmanuel Haro’s father was reportedly tricked into admitting that he killed the 7-month-old and dumped his body in a trash can.
Emmanuel’s remains
The Emmanuel Haro case continues to shock the nation as new, disturbing details emerge about the baby’s parents. Authorities in Riverside County, California, have arrested Jake and Rebecca Haro, the couple accused of murdering their 7-month-old son.
Investigators say Emmanuel may have been dead for up to nine days before his mother reported him missing on August 14, 2025.
“We believe baby Emmanuel was subject to abuse over time, and because of that abuse, he succumbed to his injuries,” Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin told reporters Wednesday.
Hestrin added, “We have a pretty strong indication of where the remains of baby Emmanuel are.”
The case also took a grim turn after police used an undercover inmate to pressure Jake Haro, Emmanuel’s father, into admitting his role in the child’s death, according to NewsNation reporter Brian Entin.
Perkins Operation
The father reportedly told an undercover inmate in the jail where he is being held that he killed the baby and placed him in a trash can. Sources say Haro made the confession as part of a ”Perkins Operation,” in which an undercover informant poses as a fellow inmate to gather information from someone in custody.
Authorities confirmed that both Jake and Rebecca Haro will face murder charges, though Emmanuel’s body has not yet been located.
Police also attempted a similar undercover operation with Rebecca, but she reportedly maintained her story, NewsNation reporter Brian Entin says.
Said a strange man attacked her
Initially, Rebecca Haro, Emmanuel’s mother, told authorities a strange man had attacked her and abducted the baby while she was changing him outside a sporting goods store in San Bernardino on August 14. However, police later arrested both parents after uncovering “inconsistencies” in their stories.
From jail, Jake Haro reportedly changed his account, telling authorities that he accidentally rolled over on Emmanuel while he slept, suffocating him, and that he buried the baby near a freeway, Entin reported.
The alleged freeway site may explain why Haro was later seen assisting investigators in a remote field in Moreno Valley.
“We have some ideas in terms of where we’re going to look and where we’re going to continue to investigate,” Hestrin said.
Convicted in 2023
The district attorney highlighted a disturbing history. In 2023, Jake Haro was convicted of child abuse after severely beating his young daughter from a previous marriage, leaving her bedridden with permanent injuries.
“That decision was absolutely outrageous. Mr. Haro should have been in prison,” Hestrin said, criticizing the fact that Haro received no jail time for the incident, which included fractured ribs, a fractured skull, a brain hemorrhage, and other injuries.
The Haros have two other children: a 2-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old stepson. Riverside Child Protective Services has taken the daughter into care.
The couple’s arraignment, originally scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed. Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies noted that the Haros are connected to a separate child abuse report filed near the sporting goods store on the day Emmanuel went missing.
“The investigation is related to the Haros and no further details are available,” authorities said.
