Rebecca Haro pleads guilty to covering up the murder of her infant son Emmanuel

The mother of Emmanuel Haro, a seven-month-old boy presumed dead by authorities, has entered a guilty plea to charges related to covering up her infant son's murder after reaching a deal with prosecutors.

The guilty plea and sentencing

Rebecca Haro pleaded guilty on Friday, to charges of felony child abuse, involuntary manslaughter, and accessory after the fact, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office (RCDAO).

As part of the agreement, she was sentenced to 12 years and 8 months in state prison. She had previously pleaded not guilty to murder in September 2025.

Her husband, Jake Haro, is already serving time in state prison and could remain there for the rest of his life after pleading guilty to murder in connection with his son's death.

The RCDAO stated: "Investigators determined Emmanuel suffered repeated abuse at the hands of his father, while Rebecca Haro failed to protect her son or seek medical care and later helped conceal the circumstances surrounding his death."

Assistant District Attorney Brandon Smith was unequivocal in his assessment of Rebecca's culpability.

"Her choice not to intervene was a choice to allow, if not facilitate, Emmanuel's death. This defendant had a legal and moral responsibility as Emmanuel's mother. She catastrophically failed in that duty," he said.

A false kidnapping report

Rebecca had reported to police that Emmanuel was kidnapped on 14 August 2025, just before 8pm, from the car park of a sporting goods store in Yucaipa, a city located approximately 10 miles east of San Bernardino.

She claimed that an unknown person had approached her whilst she was attending to the baby, said "Hola," and that her next memory was waking to find her son gone.

"I took him out of the car seat and I laid him on the chair, and I had his diapers right here," Rebecca told police after filing what authorities later alleged was a false report. "Someone said 'Hola,' and I couldn't even turn and ... I don't remember nothing."

Rebecca presented at the time with a visible black eye, which she attributed to an attack during the alleged kidnapping. Initially, investigators had no reason to doubt the apparently distraught mother.

However, the investigation soon encountered significant obstacles in the form of glaring inconsistencies in Rebecca's account.

Both she and her husband began to distance themselves from the case, and within a week had ceased providing any assistance to investigators.

Investigation shifts focus

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department subsequently redirected its inquiry, and on 22 August released a statement confirming that deputies had "determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur."

Following hundreds of hours devoted to the search for the missing infant, the statement concluded: "It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing."

Jake and Rebecca were arrested that same day on suspicion of murder and taken into custody. On 24 August, Jake briefly left gaol to assist investigators in their search for his son's remains.

Authorities now believe Emmanuel was killed several days before his mother filed the false kidnapping report. According to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by People, the last known sighting of the child occurred on 5 August.

A history of child abuse

In a separate case, Jake Haro had pleaded guilty just two years before a charge of wilful neglect of a child following the severe abuse of his then 10-week-old daughter in 2018.

The injuries sustained by the girl were so grave that prosecutors stated at a press conference she is "permanently bedridden" and suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of the abuse. The couple also had a two-year-old child who was subsequently removed from their custody.