Hidden True Crime - Baby Emmanuel Case EXPLODES: Dumpster Evidence, Surveillance Footage & Shocking Past Revealed?!

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

The search for baby Emmanuel has taken a shocking turn. From baby clothes allegedly pulled from a dumpster to potential surveillance footage that may unravel Rebecca Haro’s story, the latest updates could change everything. And with Jake Haro’s violent past resurfacing, the question remains—was this really an abduction, or did something more sinsiter happen? About Hidden True Crime: What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at Patreon.com/hiddentruecrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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and the latest twist that could change everything in baby Emmanuel's case. Fresh leads police are digging into, including baby clothes found nearby. This episode breaks down the newest revelations. Emmanuel's mother, Rebecca Haro, claims that he was abducted from her truck after she was attacked and knocked unconscious by an unknown man who said Ola before attacking her. But from the very start, investigators and the public have questioned her story. There are reportedly inconsistencies in her statements and the background of Emmanuel's father. Jake adds even more concern given his criminal record involving child cruelty and violent abuse. And now in just the last two days, new information has surfaced, details that could

shed more light on what really happened to baby Emmanuel. In this episode, we're going to break down those developments, examine where the story stands now and discuss the questions investigators still need to answer. So before we dive into the newest updates about baby Emmanuel himself, we need to revisit something critical, Jake Harrow's disturbing past case. If Jake had the capacity to harm one of his children before, it raises the question of whether he could have done the same to Emmanuel. Wow. As the old saying goes, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. We've reported before on what happened, but it's worth laying out the details again. Jake and his ex-wife Vanessa Avina were both implicated in the severe abuse of their infant daughter.

And when you hear a list of injuries, it's nothing short of horrifying. In acute rib fracture, six additional ribs already in the process of healing, a fractured skull bleeding on the brain. swelling around the neck and even a healing fracture in her leg. These weren't isolated accidents. They were signs of ongoing abuse. Instead of accountability, what they received was shockingly lenient punishment. Jake was sentenced to 180 days in a sheriff's work release program, given a suspended four-year prison sentence and ordered to complete a child abuser treatment program. Vanessa's sentence was even lighter, 120 days in work release, along with the same treatment requirement, and both tried to deflect responsibility by blaming each other for what had clearly

been a pattern of abuse. On paper, those sentences already sound too light, but when you learn about the long-term effects the abuse had on their daughter, you will be outraged, or at least I am. What we've learned is that Jake and Vanessa's baby girl was originally named Carolina Rose. Beautiful name and reports indicate that during her pregnancy, Vanessa continued drinking alcohol and was even arrested for DUIs. Despite that, Carolina was born healthy, but that changed when just 10 weeks old in October 2018, she suffered those devastating injuries. Both parents eventually pleaded guilty to willful cruelty and Carolina was placed with Vanessa's cousin, who later adopted her and renamed her Promise Faith. While Promise just turned seven, her life has been permanently altered

by the abuse she endured as an infant. And now she requires a tracheostomy tube to breathe and needs frequent suctioning just to keep her airway clear. She is blind. She cannot walk or speak. Only a sliver of her brain functions. About 3%. That's what remains. She is completely dependent on her caregivers.

And yet for all of this, neither Vanessa nor Jake serves significant time behind bars. Promise. What a beautiful name. Promise Faith. Wasn't the couple's only child. Before her, Jake and Vanessa had a son, Jake Jr., who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome. He too was eventually adopted by Vanessa's cousin, who renamed him Carlos. So let's put this into perspective.

Jake chose to remain with a partner who drank heavily through not just one, but two pregnancies. Together, they inflicted life-altering on their infant daughter, lost custody of both children, and divorced and then went on to have more kids with other people. Which brings us back to the haunting question, did history repeat itself? And this time, did the baby not survive? Another piece of information that's come to light is that Vanessa wasn't actually Jake's first wife. Before Vanessa, Jake was married to a woman named Isabel, and together they had a son named

Eli. Eli is the child that Rebecca and Jake were reportedly taking to football. practice on the day the baby Emmanuel was said to have disappeared. Rebecca, for her part, also has a complicated family history. She was married before as well and has two daughters from that previous marriage. Those sources say she has little to no contact with them now. So when it comes to parenting, neither Rebecca nor Jake have what you'd call a glowing track record. And while it hasn't been officially confirmed, there are reports circulating that since Rebecca and Jake's case made headlines, Rebecca's ex-husband stepped forward, claiming he didn't even

know she had remarried or gone on to have more children. If that's true, it speaks volumes about how disconnected she is from her daughter's lives and from co-parenting with her ex. Adding to this, Rebecca and Jake also share a two-year-old child together, which makes the picture even more troubling. Because if she's this far removed from her older children, what does that say about her role as a mother now? We don't know. But we've also learned some new details from attorney Vincent Hughes, who recently clarified that he is representing only Jake and not Rebecca. And that struck a lot of people as odd, including me.

After all, Rebecca was reportedly the last person with baby Emmanuel. She's the one whose version of events hasn't been consistent. And she's directly tied to the alleged abduction. So why wouldn't she have legal representation too? Some have speculated that this could be a sign that Jake may eventually try to distance himself from Rebecca or even blame her for what happened to Emmanuel, much like he once shifted blame onto Vanessa in his daughter's abuse case. During an interview with Ashley Banfield on News Nation, Hughes pushed back against claims that Jake hasn't been cooperating with investigators. He insisted that wasn't true, but he also made it clear that he can't speak for Rebecca. Ashley Banfield pressed him on reports that Rebecca has allegedly refused a lie detector test.

Hughes responded that as an attorney he would never advise a client to take one since polygraphs aren't amissible in court. Still, Banfield countered with a point many viewers, no doubt, share. If a parent is innocent and desperate to clear their name, desperate to find their child, wouldn't they do anything, even a polygraph? help find their missing child. Regardless, Hughes emphasized that if police want to sit down with Jake, he can set up that meeting immediately because Jake is willing to cooperate and participate in the investigation. Hughes also confirmed something significant on air. Jake and Rebecca's two-year-old child has been removed from their custody at this time. Until authorities can determine whether it's safe for the child to remain in their care, that child has been removed.

removed. Hughes also revealed that Jake and Rebecca had willingly handed over their electronic devices along with the passwords, as well as their only vehicle so investigators could analyze them. According to Hughes, this was further proof that Jake isn't trying to withhold anything and is cooperating fully with the investigation. However, it is important to note that there were warrants for these items. So it's not like Rebecca and Jake had much of a choice if there was a search warrant for their phone. Another point Vincent Hughes made very clear was his belief that law enforcement has shifted its focus almost entirely onto the parents. Rather than actively pursuing other leads that could help bring Emmanuel home, their focus is mom and dad. He mentioned

a reported citing of a baby matching Emmanuel's description in nearby Kern County, a lead he felt wasn't being properly investigated. Shortly after his interview aired, police issued a statement addressing both the public concern and these specific claims. Here's what they said. Quote, we know the community is deeply concerned about

this case and we will continue to provide information to the extent it does not jeopardize the investigation. Our investigators have followed up on the reported sightings of seven month old Emmanuel Harrow, but he has not yet been located. While Emmanuel's father

has retained an attorney. If the parents choose to work with detectives, we welcome their cooperation as we continue efforts to locate Emmanuel." End quote. So according to law enforcement, they did look into the reported sightings, but came up empty. And while Vincent Hughes insists Jake is ready to cooperate, police are making it clear that both parents need to be fully on board if they want to help move this case forward. The next updates we have might not directly connect to baby Emmanuel's disappearance, but the timing and location make them hard to dismiss as coincidence or simply just ignore. Multiple outlets have reported that just down the street from the Harrow family's home in Cabazon investigators discovered items of interest inside a dumpster. Among those items

were baby clothes. Now, nothing has been officially confirmed by law enforcement. But reporters on the scene observed police carefully combing through this dumpster, spending significant time collecting materials. The way they processed it suggests they may have found something they considered potentially critical to the investigation. In another bizarre turn, on Tuesday evening, a fire broke out on the same street where the Haro family lives. By the time

firefighters arrived, a single story home was already fully engulfed in flames. The blaze also spread to an attached shed, a nearby structure, and even some surrounding vegetation. The Red Cross was called in to assist a man and woman who were displaced

as a result. So, almost immediately, speculation began circulating. Could this fire somehow be tied to baby Emmanuel's disappearance? Some wondered if it might have been an attempt to destroy evidence. But a officials were quick to respond. A spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department clarified that the fire occurred at a different residence across the street from the Harrow's,

but that at this point there is no evidence linking it to Emmanuel's case. Earlier today, footage surfaced showing Rebecca leaving what appears to be a police interrogation room. Observers quickly noted that the man accompanying her seemed to be a local defense attorney, David Goldstein, indicating that Rebecca now has legal representation when speaking with law enforcement. According to his website, David Goldstein has been a licensed attorney in California for over 30 years. Over the course of his career, he's worked with thousands of families on matters involving children and has handled cases across various Southern California counties, including appearances in juvenile court, probate court, and family law court.

His experience emphasizes that in cases involving the welfare of a child, expert legal guidance is critical, something he is now providing for Rebecca Harrow. In another unexpected twist, Jake Harrow's first wife, Isabel Gonzalez, has filed a domestic violence restraining order against him. This involves their son, Eli, and adds yet another layer to the complicated family drama surrounding Jake. If approved, this would legally prevent Jake from contacting Isabel and possibly their son. The restraining order is currently pending, waiting to be formally served, and the court will decide if it will be temporary or long term after reviewing the evidence. It's not clear why Isabel decided to file the restraining order at this time. We don't know if something recently happened involving Eli while in Jake's care, or if she's

taking steps as a precaution, perhaps out of concern that he could have been involved in what happened to Emmanuel. In independent boots on the ground journalist, we've been following. Ahmed with On the Tira recently spoke with more employees this time at a clothing store located right next to the Big Five where the alleged incident reportedly took place. These employees provided Ahmed with footage around the time Rebecca said the abduction occurred. It's not clear whether or not that is Rebecca's vehicle in this. surveillance footage, but it doesn't show anyone making off with a baby running into the store

or looking for a baby around the parking lot. There are also new reports of footage from another angle, which Jake's attorney has commented on. This is apparently from the liquor store across the street, which may show something else entirely. Again, we should take all of these reports with a great assault since they haven't been confirmed. Nonetheless, let's take a look at this clip from the TikTok channel. Tats, stories, and covered. We officially know their surveillance.

According to news reports today, the sheriff's office has showed Rebecca some surveillance video that came from the liquor store across the street from the Big Five store, and that surveillance video shows Rebecca falling in the parking lot. But it appears nothing else is corroborated about her story. Interestingly, Jay Carras' attorney had this to say about it. Something falls, gets back up.

That seems to corroborate exactly what Rebecca's story was in the beginning. All right, help me understand this. They didn't see another point. person. They saw no one else walk off with the baby. They just saw Rebecca fall to the ground. And that corroborates her story, how? According to Rebecca, somebody walked up behind her, said something to her and then punched her. Where's that on the video? Mr. Hughes, wouldn't that be more of a corroboration of her story? We've also heard new reports that there may have been cameras at the football field where Eli was having practice. If that footage exists,

it could confirm whether or not Emmanuel was with them at that practice. As a lot, as Rebecca has stated, along with surveillance from local businesses and even potentially from the family home police now have a lot of material to review. On top of that, investigators now have access to Jake and Rebecca's cell phones. As we've seen in many other cases, cell data can be crucial, showing locations, calls, messages, search history, and more. There's no telling what the investigation might uncover as detectives work to piece together what really happened. I also want to let you know that I recently had the opportunity to speak about Emmanuel's case on the Elizabeth Vargas report, as well as court TV. Here is a short clip of the conversation I had with Elizabeth Vargas. And if you want to hear the full segment, you can catch it over on News Nation's channel.

Lauren, how quickly did her story fall apart and how quickly did suspicion turn possibly to her for police? We just heard from people in the community, but what about police? It, I think that there were eyes on this family for quite some time. As you mentioned, there were these charges that the family has. Their stories were not being, they were not the same. Both the father and the mother, their stories change. In one story, she's saying that she got hit from behind after hearing Ola. And then in another story, she's saying that she received the black eye after being hit in the front.

Things got very confusing. and on social media when people started discussing this, especially those that are local and those further away as the story started to spread, people were comparing notes and sharing different interviews with the different media outlets and pointing out these inconsistencies. And so I can only imagine that the law enforcement

was a lot more tight-lipped than, you know, comments on social media, but from comments on social media, I imagine that law enforcement was right there as well, wondering and comparing the inconsistencies. Those are the updates. we have for you today. Please subscribe as we continue to follow this heartbreaking case

and bring you the latest developments. More than anything, our hope is that baby Emmanuel Harrow is found alive and safe and that the investigation and search efforts lead to answers. Until then, we hold on to hope while also recognizing the fears many of us share. And we trust that in the end, the truth will come out and justice will be served. Let's be honest, buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy, or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about mood.com. That's M-O-O-O-D.com.

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