Emmanuel Haro's Dad Insists He and Wife Are Innocent — and Explains Past Abuse Case That Left Daughter Bedridden
Jake Haro says that the police wrongly thought he killed his 7-month-old son because he was convicted of child abuse in 2023 for hurting his 10-week-old daughter very badly.
While police search for the body of baby Emmanuel Haro, his father strongly denied that the boy had been abused for a long time.
The Orange County Register interviewed Jake Haro, 32, and his wife, Rebecca Haro, 41, in jail on August 27. Haro said the claims that they hurt their 7-month-old son were "not true at all."
Jake and Rebecca were charged with murder and lying to the police the day before. Each of them has a $1 million bail.
Rebecca told the police that her son was taken on August 14 after she was knocked out in the parking lot of a sporting goods store in Yucaipa, which is 10 miles east of San Bernardino.
During the 45-minute video interview at the jail, Haro was asked about his trip to the Moreno Valley Badlands on Sunday, August 24. He was seen with investigators looking for the baby's body there.
The judge told Haro, "I want to talk about it, but I can't." "They told me not to do any press."
He did talk about his 2023 conviction for child abuse for hurting his baby daughter Carolina in 2018.
He told The Register that that belief made the police think he killed his son.
Haro told The Register, "I pleaded guilty because I didn't have the money to go to trial." The judge said that no one would believe what I said happened.
He went on, "Somehow, they magically got me to take this damn plea deal." "I was tired of court." The judge knows I didn't do it. They just pushed me around. I acted like the victim.
According to the arrest warrant, Haro was arrested in 2018 and charged with willful child cruelty after his 10-week-old daughter was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including new and old bone fractures, retinal hemorrhages, and brain injuries.
The girl is Jake's daughter with his ex-wife Vanessa, not Rebecca. She is now 7 years old.
Michael Hestrin, the Riverside County District Attorney, said at a press conference on August 27 that she is now "permanently bedridden" and has "cerebral palsy that is a result of long-term child abuse."
Jake said that he had been washing the baby in the sink and dropped her by mistake. Authorities say that the doctor who looked at the baby said her injuries couldn't have happened from falling such a short distance into the sink.
In 2023, Jake admitted to being cruel to a child. The judge put a hold on his six-year prison sentence and told him to spend six months in a work-release program, followed by four years of probation. He was also told to go to a program for people who abuse children.
Jake, who married Rebecca three years ago, also spoke up for her.
Haro said, "Rebecca is not guilty." "The press is killing her." She's a pretty woman. "She loves her kids."
When asked about the negative comments people have made about the couple on social media, he told The Register, "God is with us." It's only natural that the horrible accusations will make people angry.
When asked what he would say to Emmanuel if he could, he said, "I love you, buddy."
You can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453 if you think a child is being abused. You can also go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and private. You can call the hotline any time of day or night in over 170 languages.