'Killer dad' allegedly admits to true cause of death of infant son as family 'lied'

A father who made a public plea to help find his'missing' son has reportedly confessed to murdering the boy and disposing of his body in a bin.

Jake Haro, 32, and his wife, Rebecca, 41, were charged with the murder of their son Emmanuel on Tuesday by attorneys in Riverside County, California, 12 days after they claimed he had been kidnapped under dramatic circumstances. The couple are also facing charges for filing a false police report, which is considered a misdemeanour.

The child has not been found, and authorities now believe he is dead. It has been alleged that Jake Haro confessed the truth about what happened to the seven-month-old to an undercover inmate.

NewsNation's Brian Entin cited sources claiming that investigators used an undercover inmate to obtain Haro's confession. This comes as the couple have been accused of multiple inconsistencies in their accounts.

On 14 August, Rebecca claimed she was assaulted and left unconscious while changing her son's nappy outside a shop in the San Bernardino County community of Yucaipa. She said she woke up to find Emmanuel missing, telling FOX 11: "I woke up on the floor, and my son was gone.", reports The Mirror.

Two days later, the father appeared on another local television network urging the 'kidnapper' to come forward, saying: "Whoever took our son, please bring him back."

However, just days after the initial 'abduction', the Haros were arrested and charged with murder as sheriff's deputies pointed out "inconsistencies" in their stories.

Jake Haro, from his prison cell, gave police a different account, claiming he had accidentally suffocated baby Emmanuel by rolling over him in his sleep before burying the infant's body near a motorway, according to a source close to Entin. Recently, Jake Haro was seen with investigators scouring a secluded field next to a motorway in Moreno Valley.

"We have some ideas in terms of where we're going to look and where we're going to continue to investigate," Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin informed journalists. He added that it is now believed baby Emmanuel likely died as a result of abuse inflicted by his parents.

"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," Hestrin told reporters.

"We have a pretty strong indication of where the remains of baby Emmanuel are", he added, following reports that detectives had reason to believe his body was discarded into a rubbish bin. The couple is being held on £740,000 bail each.

Authorities noted discrepancies in the mother's story, and searched the couple's home in the Riverside County community of Cabazon before arresting them on Friday.

During the weekend, sheriff's deputies scoured a field beside a motorway for the boy's remains whilst Jake Haro was present, with authorities stating he offered some cooperation. The youngster's body was not discovered, and no further details were released regarding the search.

Mr Hestrin contended that Jake Haro ought to have received a custodial sentence after he admitted guilt in open court two years earlier to maltreating another of his children in 2018. The girl is reported to have sustained rib and skull fractures, a brain haemorrhage and other injuries resulting in permanent harm.

He stated the prosecution urged the judge to impose a prison sentence on Haro at that time, but instead he was permitted to complete 180 days of work release, plus probation. "It was an outrageous error in judgment by this judge," Mr Hestrin said.