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Police now believe Emmanuel Haro was killed after a prolonged period of child abuse, as his parents have been charged with his murder.
USA Today reports local authorities have confirmed they suspect the 7-month-old is no longer alive and are following leads as they search for his body.
In apress conference held on Wednesday (local time), Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said while officials “don’t know exactly” where Emmanuel’s remains are, they “have a pretty strong indication”.
“We have some ideas in terms of where we’re going to look and where we’re going to continue to investigate.”
He said the boy’s father Jake Haro “should’ve been in prison”, referring to his previous conviction for a child abuse offence.
“The filing in this case reflects our belief that baby Emmanuel was abused, a victim of child abuse over time and that eventually because of that abuse, he succumbed to those injuries.”
Emmanuel Haro has been missing since August 14, when his mother claims he was snatched outside a San Bernardino store. Photo / San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office.
Jake and his partner Rebecca Haro were charged for the murder of Emmanuel on August 26, alongside charges for making a false report.
They are set to appear for arraignment on September 4.
Previously, Rebecca claimed she was knocked unconscious by a stranger on August 14, awaking outside the sports store to find her son was gone.
Police were immediately suspicious of her story, which was described as inconsistent in early reports.
They now believe Emmanuel was killed between August 5 and August 14 – the time between his last known sighting and the first report of his disappearance to authorities.
Unconfirmed reports from News Nation allege Jake confessed to a jailhouse informant that he murdered his son.
According to a source, the father claimed he had disposed of the baby in a trash bin, having previously told police he had buried the body.
However, Hestrin told the conference reports about a confession were untrue.
