Frustrated officials at an organization that had offered to help search for missing Cabazon 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro – only to withdraw the offer when law enforcement said the boy’s parents had stopped cooperating with the investigation – have issued “a direct challenge” to the parents to resume searching.
The Uvalde Foundation for Kids had also offered a $5,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of the boy who the mother said was stolen from her on Aug. 14 outside a Big 5 in Yucaipa, but rescinded that as well.
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But in light of a statement by the attorney for Jake and Rebecca Haro that the couple actually were cooperating, the organization decided to give them “the benefit of the doubt” and reached out to the Haros with a new offer of assistance.
However, the Foundation’s latest news release, sent Wednesday night, Aug. 20, said “Its pleas and challenge to the family have been met with silence.”
The release began with this statement written in boldface and italics:
“If someone threw me a lifeline as we have done for them, I’d reach for it before it ever hit the water. And yet here, silence…..”
The release added: “Our newest attempts have been met with silence and it baffles me. We are running out of patience!”
It was unclear on Thursday how much time had elapsed between the new offer of assistance and the publication of the release. A Foundation spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
“The Foundation stated it is prepared to send members of its volunteer safety teams directly to the family’s residence to provide aid and support if they decide to come forward and actively participate in search efforts,” the release continued.
The Uvalde Foundation For Kids is a nonprofit organization that supports children and famillies in crisis.
The Haros’ attorney, Vincent Hughes, could not be reached for comment at midday Thursday.
Hughes had said the Haros have received death threats. Social media posts are filled with speculation on the cause of Emmanuel’s disappearance, with many people convicting the Haros, who have not been arrested or charged.
The Foundation addressed those issues in asking the Haros to resume the search.
“So here is our challenge — join our search and you will be protected. A community seeks answers. You say that you do. Prove it, and our foundation and most assuredly a community will follow. You have the opportunity to change the sad trajectory and narrative of this case. If you have nothing to hide, step forward and you will find you have more support than you could ever imagine. Finding Emmanuel should supersede everything else.”
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has put the ground search on hold until new clues merit resuming it. The Haros’ home has been searched, and electronics belonging to Jake Haro, including phones, have been seized.
According to Hughes, Jake Haro told the Sheriff’s Department that there was a possible sighting of his son at a gas station in Bakersfield. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez said investigators were aware of the report, but “No information as to where in Kern County was provided.”
A Bakersfield Police Department spokeswoman, Sally Selbe, said her department had not been contacted by San Bernardino County authorities about the sighting. Lori Meza, a Kern County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, said Thursday, “There is no credible or confirmed sighting of the missing boy in Kern County at this time.”
Rebecca Haro had told investigators that she was knocked unconscious by an attacker around 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 14 while changing Emmanuel’s diaper next to her car. When she awoke, the baby was gone, Haro said. Two days later, the Sheriff’s Department publicly said there were inconsistencies in her statements.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Gloria Orejel said Thursday afternoon that there were no developments in the investigation.