Mystery deepens as parents who claim 7-month-old baby was 'abducted' from corner shop stop cooperating with police
Parents who claim their baby boy was abducted from a car outside petrol station have announced they're ceasing all cooperation with police.
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Parents Rebecca Haro and Jake Mitchell Haro, from Yucaipa, California, called in law enforcement after they claimed their 7-month-old child was kidnapped last Thursday.
The mother claimed she was attacked from behind shortly after 7pm as she tended to her son on the back seat of the car, in front of a Big 5 retail store.
Ms Haro claims that when she woke up, her baby was gone.
However, The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has now said that major inconsistencies have emerged in mother’s story.
As a result, the force says it cannot rule out foul play in the disappearance of 7-month old Emmanuel, with cadaver dogs reportedly seen on the family's property.
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Recent hours have seen further details emerge, after the husband, Jake Mitchell Haro, was revealed to hold a felon conviction for wilful child cruelty.
The conviction, handed down in June 2023, came after the father was arrested in Hemet, California, on October 12, 2018.
Missing baby Emmanuel Haro was last spotted wearing a black Nike onesie, according to authorities.
He spent 180 days in jail with a 72-month suspended sentence, as court documents reveal he is still working through his 48 months probation period.
On the day of the alleged kidnapping, Sheriff’s deputies and police dogs from both Riverside and San Bernardino counties began a search for the child.
There was no sign of the baby boy, with the couple releasing tearful videos begging the public to help them locate and return their child.
Investigators interviewed both parents alongside eye-witnesses as part of their search.
However, when detectives questioned inconsistencies in her story, she refused to continue speaking with authorities, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Following concerns, Uvalde Foundation For Kids, a national child advocacy group, retracted its offer to help with the search, alongside the $5,000 reward for information linked to his disappearance.
The group raised concerns about Ms Haro's decision to stop speaking with the sheriff’s investigators.
“Something is not right in this whole picture,” the group’s founder, Daniel Chapin, said in a statement.
“We hope law enforcement will continue to pursue the case so that this precious child may be found and placed in a safe environment.”