Crime
Rebecca Haro Defends Husband From Jail, Says He ‘Would Never Hurt a Baby’ After Murder Charge
Emmanuel Haro’s mother, Rebecca Haro, broke her silence from behind bars, and she doubled down on her claims that the child was kidnapped, despite being charged with his murder.
“I will not give up on my baby,” Rebecca, 41, said in a jailhouse interview, per The Press-Enterprise on Monday, August 25. “I want to be out looking for my baby.”
She also mentioned her husband and Emmanuel’s father, Jake Haro, and claimed that he was “a good dad” and “would never hurt a baby.”
As the National Enquirer previously reported, Rebecca claimed to have been assaulted and knocked unconscious by an unknown man while changing Emmanuel’s diaper beside her car as it was parked in a Big 5 parking lot on August 14. When she came to, she alleged that Emmanuel had been taken from her.
However, the following day, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department stated that Rebecca was “confronted with inconsistencies” in her story and she then “declined to continue the interview.”
On August 22, San Bernardino police announced via X that they had determined that Emmanuel had not been kidnapped and now believe “Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing.”
True crime enthusiasts were immediately drawn to the case on social media, and it reignited an interest in Rebecca and Jake’s pasts. In 2018, Jake, 32, and his former partner, Vanessa Avina, were charged with willful child cruelty. The former couple’s 10-week-old daughter was taken to the hospital and discovered to have severe injuries that left her in critical condition, including a brain hemorrhage, an “acute” fractured rib, a skull fracture, “healing” fractures of six ribs, a “healing” fractured leg bone and swelling of the neck, according to an affidavit obtained by The Orange County Register.
Jake pleaded guilty and was sentenced with 180 days in a sheriff’s work‑release program, a four‑year prison term suspended, placement on felony probation and a mandatory child‑abuser treatment program requirement.
