Mother of missing 7-month-old refused a polygraph test but is cooperating, lawyer says

The parents of a missing 7-month-old boy in Yucaipa are cooperating with law enforcement despite claims from investigators that they cut off communication, an attorney representing the father said Tuesday.

Emmanuel Haro disappeared after his mother, Rebecca Haro, said she was attacked in a parking lot last week and knocked out. She told detectives with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department that when she woke up, her son was gone.

The Sheriff’s Department said it cannot rule out foul play in the case but has not named any suspects.

Since then, authorities have searched the Cabazon home where the family lives and said that the parents have stopped cooperating with the investigation.

But according to an attorney for the boy’s father, Jake Haro, the family is still cooperating, and Rebecca Haro only refused to take a polygraph when it was requested by law enforcement.

Authorities said she gave contradictory statements, but Vincent Hughes, who is representing Jake Haro in a separate case, said she was overcome with emotion because of her missing son.

“No attorney in their right mind would allow that to happen, and no person should ever consent to a lie detector test when it’s not even scientifically proven to be admissible in court,” Hughes told The Times on Tuesday.

“The fact of the matter remains: How does a normal person act in this situation?” Hughes said. “There’s John Walsh on one extreme. You have Casey Anthony on the other extreme. Where is their normal between there? How does anyone act when their 7-month-old baby magically disappears?”

Emmanuel was reported missing Thursday under suspicious circumstances after his mother said she was attacked and knocked unconscious outside a Big 5 store in Yucaipa, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department media press release.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived and searched the area but could not find Emmanuel. The boy was last seen wearing a black onesie, authorities said.

Authorities did not disclose whether Rebecca Haro had suffered any visible injuries. During her interview with detectives, officials said, she was confronted with inconsistencies from her initial statement and stopped speaking with investigators.

Hughes said law enforcement provided a “vague statement” about Rebecca Haro’s inconsistencies but has not elaborated or clarified that the parents are cooperating with the investigation. The Sheriff’s Department has not issued a missing person flier, Hughes said, and has not provided Emmanuel’s parents with any updates about the case.

A sheriff’s spokesperson said they have shared all information about the case over social media and that Hughes requested all further communication with the couple be made through him.

According to court records, Jake Haro was convicted in June 2023 of willful child cruelty for an incident involving another child in Hemet. He’s due to appear in court on Sept. 2 for a violation of his probation, and Hughes is defending him in that case.

That case is separate and has no connection to the Haros’ child missing, Hughes said.

“Jake has a criminal past,” Hughes said. “We’re not running from that, but the facts of that case are a lot different than the facts of this case. And one crime doesn’t mean that you’ve committed every other crime known to man, especially to take your own child.”

The couple surrendered their phones to investigators and allowed detectives to search their Cabazon home, Hughes said. Investigators also took two iPads, including one that had not been taken out of the box, and three Xbox video game consoles.

“Jake has and continues to state that law enforcement is free to come, free to look around,” Hughes said. “They haven’t ran. I want to make sure that the public is aware they have not gone anywhere. They’re still in the family home, scared for their safety.”

Over the weekend, investigators and police dogs searched the family home in Cabazon. The Sheriff’s Department says it has served multiple search warrants at the home and is reviewing surveillance footage from areas of interest in the case.