Nearly 100 people came together in a candlelight vigil just hours after the arrest of a toddler’s parents on murder charges, as a little boy from California went missing.
On a Friday evening, about half an hour east of San Bernardino, family members, some with young children, gathered outside the Haro residence in Cabazon. They brought flowers, stuffed animals, and other mementos to place on the fence, while others held signs calling for justice for the missing toddler. One of the signs poignantly asked, “Where is the baby?”
“We’re here to support Baby Emmanuel,” said Leah Huey, a vigil attendee. “What happened to this child is not right… He didn’t have the chance he deserved.”
Jake and Rebecca Halo have been taken into custody in their hometown on murder suspicion.
This arrest followed the mother’s claim that her son had been invited outside a sports store, a story that has now been deemed false by authorities.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, evidence suggests that no incident occurred near a Yucaipa store. Investigators believe Emmanuel has died, and a search is actively ongoing to locate his body.
The somber atmosphere of the vigil left attendees feeling “fatigued.”
“It’s chilly… it feels so heartbreaking,” remarked 22-year-old Hannah Kurtle.
Maya Gutierrez, age 20, stood outside the house all afternoon, feeling the need to be a voice for the baby. “No one else was speaking up for him,” she expressed. “He didn’t deserve this at all.”
The loss of this young child, reported on August 14th, has prompted the Uvalde Foundation, an organization dedicated to children’s welfare, to announce “National Operation Blackout” for 210 minutes on Saturday. Each minute symbolizes one day of the child’s brief life.
Initially, the foundation had offered a $5,000 reward for information about the baby’s whereabouts but later rescinded it, finding inconsistencies in the mother’s account.
Authorities noted that the mother had claimed a stranger knocked her out while she was changing her child’s diapers outside a local Big 5 sporting goods store, and that the baby passed away when she regained consciousness. However, after pleading for a week for media attention in hopes of the baby’s return, the Haro family stopped cooperating with investigations.
Jake Halo, aged 32, has a background of legal issues, including a six-month prison term in 2023 for child abuse related to Emmanuel’s sister.
The parents were booked at Riverside County Jail on Friday, and they are currently being held without bail.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office has committed to continuing the search for Emmanuel, though no immediate updates were provided on Saturday.
