Jake Haro, the father of missing infant Emmanuel Haro, broke down in tears Thursday as he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and related charges in the death of his 7-month-old son, admitting to a brutal pattern of abuse that prosecutors say culminated in the child’s demise just days before a fabricated kidnapping story thrust the family into the national spotlight.

Haro, 32, appeared before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, his voice cracking as he responded “Yes, your honor” to questions confirming his guilt on counts of second-degree murder, assault on a child under 8 resulting in death, filing a false police report, and an unrelated felon-in-possession-of-a-firearm charge from 2024. “I’m guilty,” Haro stated flatly when asked about the murder charge, wiping away tears as courtroom spectators—including community members who had rallied for Emmanuel—gasped and wept. Sentencing is slated for November 3, where Haro faces 25 years to life in prison, with enhancements for the infant’s vulnerability potentially extending his term.

The emotional plea caps a two-month probe that unraveled the Haros’ initial narrative of a stranger’s abduction outside a Yucaipa Big 5 Sporting Goods store on August 14. Rebecca Haro, 41, had tearfully recounted to KTLA being punched unconscious while changing Emmanuel’s diaper in their truck’s cab, awakening to find the baby—described as 24 inches tall, 21 pounds, with brown hair, eyes, and a cross-eyed gaze—gone in a black Nike onesie. “If you know anything, please come forward… I’m begging you,” she pleaded in early interviews, sporting a visible black eye that neighbors later speculated was self-inflicted. Jake echoed the desperation to CNN affiliate KABC: “Whoever took our son, please give him back. Keep him safe.”

But inconsistencies mounted swiftly. San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies noted Rebecca’s abrupt halt to interviews upon questioning discrepancies, including her refusal of a polygraph without counsel—though her attorney, Jeff Moore (famous for defending Louise Turpin in the Perris torture case), insisted she was cooperating. Jake also skipped the lie detector, citing legal advice. No surveillance captured the alleged assault, and cadaver dogs swept the lot fruitlessly. By August 20, investigators seized Jake’s truck for forensics, later revealing blood traces mismatched with the kidnapping claim. A nearby brush fire raised eyebrows but was deemed coincidental.

The August 22 arrests at the couple’s modest Cabazon home—40 miles from Yucaipa in Riverside County’s sun-baked outskirts—shattered the facade. Deputies, backed by SWAT, hauled both parents away on suspicion of murder, declaring Emmanuel presumed dead and the abduction staged. “Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur,” the department stated, vowing continued searches for remains. Riverside County Child Protective Services swiftly removed the couple’s 2-year-old sibling from the home, citing undisclosed safety risks under state confidentiality laws. Prosecutors later alleged Emmanuel suffered “severe abuse over a period of time” between August 5 and 14, succumbing to injuries from repeated assaults. District Attorney Michael Hestrin, at an August presser, framed it as a “preventable horror,” blasting systemic lapses that allowed a known abuser near vulnerable children.

Jake’s dark history fueled the outrage. Convicted in 2023 of felony child cruelty for a 2018 incident in Hemet—where he endangered a 10-week-old daughter from a prior marriage, leaving her bedridden with brain damage—he served just 180 days in jail, followed by probation. Despite the conviction barring unsupervised child contact, oversight faltered, enabling Emmanuel’s birth in early 2025 amid the blended family’s chaos. Jake’s attorney, Vincent Hughes, defended him post-arrest, noting voluntary surrender of devices and passwords, but critics decried the leniency as a fatal flaw.

Rebecca, maintaining her not guilty plea to amended charges of filing a false report, aiding obstruction, and child neglect causing harm, faces a preliminary hearing November 3—coinciding with Jake’s sentencing. Her jailhouse defiance persisted: In an August Southern California News Group interview, she stuck to the abduction tale, insisting innocence even as Jake hinted otherwise in his own session, saying, “I love you, buddy” to Emmanuel while declining self-exoneration.

What prompted Jake’s sudden reversal? Court whispers point to a “Perkins Operation”—a jailhouse sting where informants elicit confessions—detailed in a sealed non-disclosure order Rebecca’s team contested Thursday. Though details are locked, it may have yielded the final push, as DA spokeswoman Amy McKenzie confirmed no formal plea deal but noted the office’s non-objection. Searches intensified post-arrest: Cadaver dogs and Jake himself scoured the Moreno Valley Badlands off the 60 Freeway on August 24, then Gilman Springs Road days later—yielding zilch. By late August, Hestrin teased a “pretty strong indication” on remains’ location, but as of October 16, Emmanuel’s body eludes recovery.

Public fury has simmered into a blaze. #FindEmmanuelHaro exploded on X, racking 500,000+ impressions in August alone, with users like @JLRINVESTIGATES decrying the “bizarre” hoax and Jake’s record: “How was he around another baby?” TikTok’s #EmmanuelHaro amassed unfiltered theories, while Facebook groups spawned global vigils—from Finland to local Yucaipa candlelights outside Big 5. A $10,000 reward from missing children’s advocates evaporated amid parental stonewalling. On Thursday, courtroom mourners like Hemet’s Ashley Roe hugged outside, sobbing: “We want to know where he is for a proper burial.” Inland Empire’s Carla Jaramillo added, “Justice for the baby—at last.”

The case spotlights child welfare chasms. CDC data shows a 20% U.S. filicide spike since 2020, often tied to unchecked abuse histories. Riverside officials face heat for probation lapses; Jake’s 2018 victim, now scarred for life, underscores the cycle. Experts like retired FBI profiler Bobby Chacon, on Court TV, hailed the plea as a “tactical pivot” potentially pressuring Rebecca: “No body means no closure—this drags the agony.”

Searches persist at the Cabazon property, where K-9 units and dig teams returned last week amid Jake’s plea buzz—echoing August’s SWAT raid. Sheriff Shannon Dicus reiterated: “Our focus remains finding Emmanuel.” Tips flood the Specialized Investigations Division at 909-890-4904 or WeTip anonymously.

As November looms, the Haros’ empty home stands sentinel—a ghost of innocence shattered. Jake’s sobs Thursday offered partial reckoning, but without remains, Emmanuel’s story lingers in limbo. For a community scarred and a nation transfixed, true justice demands the unimaginable: unearthing a baby’s peace from the dirt of deceit.