The Brief
Emmanuel Haro was reported missing on Thursday, Aug. 14.
Authorities said the investigation took a turn after officials said his mother stopped cooperating.
An attorney representing the child's father said the parents have been cooperative and that they are getting death threats.
CABAZON, Calif. - The desperate search continues for Emmanuel Haro, a missing 7-month-old in Southern California, after authorities said his mother is no longer cooperating.
On Tuesday, an attorney representing the child's father said what officials are claiming couldn't be further from the truth.
What we know
Investigators with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said there are inconsistencies with the mother's story. Since then, the search has intensified in San Bernardino and Riverside counties as authorities seek answers.
Detectives have spent days combing through neighborhoods in Yucaipa and Cabazon, even using K-9 units inside the family's Cabazon home where search warrants have been served.
During the search, officials said Emmanuel's parents, Jake and Rebecca Haro, remained silent.
The backstory
Emmanuel was reported missing and was allegedly kidnapped on Thursday, Aug. 14.
The child's mother, Rebecca Haro, claimed she was attacked while changing her baby's diaper in the Big 5 parking lot in Yucaipa. She told reporters she heard someone behind her and fell to the ground. Once she got back up, her baby was gone.
"I woke up on the floor and my son was gone," Rebecca Haro said in her last interview with FOX 11.
However, detectives said her account doesn't add up.
Over the weekend, investigators said there were inconsistencies and when confronted, they said she ended the interview.
Now, detectives say foul play cannot be ruled out.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said the investigation continues, and they're working on any leads they may have. In addition, investigators continue to review a large amount of surveillance footage connected to the case.
Dig deeper
Court records show that Jake Haro pleaded guilty to child cruelty in a separate case in Riverside County back in 2018.
Emmanuel's parents facing death threats, attorney says
The other side
The father's attorney spoke to FOX 11 on Thursday, Aug. 19 and denied what officials have been saying.
The attorney said his client and his wife have been cooperating in the investigation and have turned over their phones, laptops, and passwords, adding they feel the sheriff's department should be doing more.
"It doesn't seem law enforcement is doing anything to find this child," said Vincent Hughes, attorney for Jake Haro. "He's holed up in his house with his family because they are not getting the support that they need."
Hughes said they're even facing death threats.
"All the reports I'm seeing on social media that Jake and his wife are running…they're at their home. They're at their home holed off for their safety and grieving their son," he said.
After becoming informed that the parents were not cooperating with investigators in the case, the Uvalde Foundation For Kids withdrew its search and rescinded the reward money.
Now, they "are prepared to give the benefit of the doubt in this case," after hearing the attorney's claims.
In a statement released Tuesday, spokesperson James Earle wrote, "So here is our challenge - Join our search and you will be protected. A community seeks answers. You say that you do. Prove it, and our foundation and most assuredly a community will follow."
The statement continued to say, "You have the opportunity to change the sad trajectory and narrative of this case, a case which involves your child. If you have nothing to hide. Step forward, and you will find you have more support than you could ever imagine. Finding Emmanuel should supersede everything else. Your renewed commitment and transparency will ignite a movement of support and we will find Emmanuel."
‘You don’t mess with children'
What they're saying
"It's something that just doesn't happen here. Yucaipa, Beaumont, Cabazon, even San Bernardino as big as the crime rate is there, you just don't mess with children," a local resident said.
The community is holding onto hope. There was a vigil Sunday night in the Big 5 parking lot where they prayed for Emmanuel's safe return.
The Source
This story was written with information provided by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and previous FOX 11 reports.
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