Prosecutor Reveals New Details in Emmanuel Haro Case as Parents Plead Guilty

Weeks after Jake and Rebecca Haro were arrested in connection with the death of their infant son, Emmanuel, both parents appeared in court at the Riverside Hall of Justice, where they ultimately pleaded guilty.

Riverside County Assistant District Attorney Brandon Smith served as the lead prosecutor in the case. Smith says that by the time charges were filed, investigators had answered many of the key questions surrounding Emmanuel’s disappearance.

“We knew that this was not a kidnapping,” Smith said. According to Smith, investigators determined Emmanuel had died at least days, and possibly weeks, before his parents reported him missing.

Smith said Jake Haro eventually attempted to claim that Emmanuel’s death was accidental. Prosecutors, however, did not believe that explanation.

Smith said the evidence indicated Emmanuel died following a prolonged period of abuse.

One of the biggest unanswered questions in the case remains the location of Emmanuel’s body. Smith believes Jake Haro is the only person who knows where Emmanuel was buried and said he had no intention of leading investigators to the location. Prosecutors believe Haro understood that recovering Emmanuel’s body could have undermined his account of what happened inside the family’s home.

Despite the evidence against him, Smith said he was surprised when Jake Haro unexpectedly pleaded guilty in court.

Haro pleaded guilty to every charge against him, including additional charges that prosecutors added that same day. Smith said Haro ultimately accepted the maximum sentence allowed under the law for those charges.

Rebecca Haro also pleaded guilty to charges reflecting her role in the events surrounding Emmanuel’s death.

According to Smith, Rebecca pleaded guilty to willful child endangerment, involuntary manslaughter and being an accessory after the fact.

Smith said the child-endangerment charge reflected Rebecca’s actions in the months leading up to Emmanuel’s death, while the involuntary manslaughter charge addressed her conduct and failure to intervene during the events that led to his death.

The accessory charge, Smith said, reflected her actions to help clean up and cover up what happened.

Smith also addressed whether Rebecca knew where Emmanuel’s body had been taken. He said he would not have allowed Rebecca to plead guilty if prosecutors believed she knew the location and could lead investigators to Emmanuel. Based on the evidence, Smith said prosecutors believed Rebecca knew Jake was disposing of Emmanuel but was not present and did not know where he ultimately buried the child.

That leaves one of the most painful questions in the case unanswered: Where is Emmanuel?

Smith said he does not believe investigators will ever recover the infant’s body.

“This case was different,” Smith said, explaining that the people who should have loved and protected Emmanuel the most were ultimately responsible for his death.

During the court proceedings, Smith said law enforcement officers and members of the community became the voices speaking on Emmanuel’s behalf. He said authorities understood that there would never be a true “win” in a case involving the death of an innocent child. Instead, prosecutors focused on holding those responsible accountable and making sure Emmanuel was not forgotten.

The Haro case began as a reported missing-child investigation and ultimately became a murder case resulting in both parents being sent to prison.

But even after the guilty pleas, one major mystery remains. Emmanuel’s body has not been recovered, and prosecutors say they may never know where he was buried.

For a community that came together searching for a missing infant, the case now stands as a tragic reminder of the people who should have protected Emmanuel the most—and the devastating consequences when that protection failed.

To watch part one, where we spoke to the lead investigators on the Haro case, you can find the video here "Part One".