A STORE manager has recalled her creepy run-in with now-accused child killer Jake Hero as he allegedly pretended to cry while begging for help searching for his missing son.
Jake and his wife, Rebecca, have since been charged with murder following the disappearance of their seven-month-old son Emmanuel.
Liz Meza, assistant manager of the Baada clothing store next to Big 5 Sporting Goods, where Rebecca Haro claims their son was kidnapped[/caption]
Emmanuel Haro is believed to have been killed by his parents, and police are still searching for his remains[/caption]
Jake Haro [pictured in a police mugshot] and Rebecca Haro are facing murder charges in the disappearance of their seven-month-old son[/caption]
Rebecca alleged Emmanuel was snatched after she was punched in the face as she was changing his diaper in the parking lot of a Big 5 Sporting Goods in Yucaipa, California.
She reported her son missing on August 14, but after police investigated, they allegedly noticed inconsistencies in her and her husband’s stories.
A week later, they were arrested and charged with murder and filing a false police complaint.
They will be arraigned in court this month, but have denied murdering their son in jail interviews with local news outlets.
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively to Liz Meza, assistant manager of the Baada clothing store, situated next door to Big 5.
Liz, 23, recalled the day Jake came into the store asking for help as locals scrambled to try and help the couple find baby Emmanuel.
She said from the beginning, those living in the quiet community didn’t believe someone could have kidnapped their son.
Liz recalled, “We close at 7 pm, so right after it happened, we didn’t know anything, but the next day the dad came in here, fake tears, like, ‘If you guys know anything about my son’.
“He was here by the front door. I was like, ‘The detectives seem to be doing all they can’. He wasn’t crying, it was more heavy breathing, it didn’t seem real.
“And he was wearing a hoodie, too, which was weird because it was like 90 degrees.
“He seemed in distress, and he was rubbing his eyes. They were red, but there were no actual tears.”
She claims she told her colleagues she felt his story was suspicious when they came into the store later in the day.
“And he wasn’t out searching, he was just walking around the parking lot, it just felt off, especially as they’re not from here,” she continued.
“Locals here just thought, ‘that’s not Yucaipa’, you might see a helicopter going around looking for a missing person, but not a baby. And then we heard the parents were from Cabazon.
“It’s sad, my sisters are parents, and I just can’t imagine someone doing that to a baby.”
Jake also has a 2023 felony conviction for wilful child cruelty after an arrest in Hemet, California, while he was married to his ex-wife, Vanessa Avina.
In October 2018, their daughter, who was 10 weeks old at the time, was rushed to the hospital after Vanessa phoned 911.
Doctors told police the little girl had an “acute” fractured rib, six ribs with “healing” fractures, a skull fracture, brain hemorrhage, swelling of the neck, and a fractured leg bone that was “healing.”
Rebecca Haro faces a murder charge and is due to appear in court again this month[/caption]
An officer wrote in an affidavit for a warrant that the findings were “indicative of abuse (sic) head trauma, child physical abuse and nutritional neglect.”
Jake initially blamed the baby’s injuries on Vanessa.
Both eventually pleaded guilty to the charge in 2023, but escaped jail.
Vanessa’s mother, Margarita Avina, spoke to The U.S. Sun, claiming Jake abused her daughter and she was “not in her right mind,” but insisted she would never harm her baby.
The Riverside District Attorney has since revealed the girl, now seven years old, is disabled with just three per cent brain function and has been adopted by Vanessa’s cousin.
Store manager Liz said, “To see he had a previous case against him [for child cruelty], it’s just crazy.
“Everybody wants them [Jake and Rebecca] to confess.
“I heard the week before that Rebecca visited the stores here and was asking around about whether there were cameras or not.”
Rebecca told the media during interviews that the Big 5 retail store doesn’t have security cameras monitoring the parking lot.
It is not yet known whether police have security footage of the mother in the parking lot before or after the alleged kidnapping.
The disappearance of Emmanuel Haro
CALIFORNIA cops are still searching for Emmanuel Haro. His mom, Rebecca, claimed her seven-month-old son was snatched after being ambushed while changing his diaper. But, she and her husband Jake now face murder charges.
August 14: Emmanuel’s mom, Rebecca, reports him missing. She claimed she was attacked near a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Yucaipa.
August 15: San Bernardino cops issue a statement, saying the search for Emmanuel is ongoing. They reveal that he has not been found.
August 16: Cops say they cannot rule out foul play.
August 17: Police visit the Haro family home.
August 18: Police say they have conducted extensive searches in the Yucaipa and Cabazon areas. They also reveal that a large amount of surveillance footage has been reviewed.
August 19: San Bernardino cops probe an alleged sighting of Emmanuel. Police have also seized a car belonging to Emmanuel’s dad, Jake.
August 20: Cops say Emmanuel still hasn’t been found.
August 21: One week since Emmanuel was reported missing. Cops search a home in the Cottonwood Avenue area.
August 22: Jake Haro and Rebecca Haro are arrested and charged with murder. Police continue to search for little Emmanuel.
August 24: Jake, wearing prison overalls, joined cops as they searched an area near the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley. Emmanuel still hasn’t been found
Riverside’s District Attorney and Sheriff’s Department, along with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, held a press conference last week after Jake and Rebecca’s arrest.
DA Mike Hestrin spoke of how Jake avoided jail two years ago.
“The judge decided Mr. Haro deserved an extra break and gave him probation, and basically 180 days of work-release, which ends up being like community service,” he said.
He called the judge’s decision an “outrageous error in judgment.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800 422 4453 or live chat at https://www.childhelphotline.org/.
If a child or other person is in immediate danger, contact 911 immediately.
The couple appeared on KTLA as they claimed their son had been kidnapped[/caption]
San Bernardino Sheriffs spoke at a press conference on August 27, 2025, following the arrests of Jake and Rebecca Haro[/caption]
Hundreds of stuffed toys, flowers, and messages have been placed outside the home of Emmanuel Haro in Cabazon[/caption]
