Tommy Pope, the prosecutor in the 1994 Susan Smith case, believes foul play is likely behind the disappearance of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro in California.
Susan Smith, a South Carolina mother, was sentenced to life in prison in 1994 for murdering her 3-year-old son, Michael, and 14-month-old Alex. She admitted strapping both children into car seats and rolling her vehicle into a lake.
Police are still searching for Emmanuel, who was reported missing on Aug. 14. His mother, Rebecca Haro, told authorities that a stranger took him from a Big 5 Sporting Goods parking lot in Yucaipa, knocking her unconscious while she changed his diaper.
“I think, first of all, that things are not adding up,” Pope told Banfield.
“Carjackers want cars. Carjackers want money. They may even want a sexual assault. They don’t take babies. So, nine times out of 10, there’s got to be some connection with the family.
If he assaulted her, like she said, and when she came to the baby was gone, it seems to me, her purse would be gone. Her car with money would be gone…”
Police say Rebecca Haro declined further interviews when questioned about inconsistencies in her story, and detectives have not ruled out foul play.
“I’m sure law enforcement is following what the family has given them, but also following the obvious, which unfortunately looks like foul play on the part of the family,” Pope said.
The former attorney of Emmanuel’s father, Jake Haro, told NewsNation that Rebecca Haro agreed to a lie detector test if her lawyer could be present, but the parties could not agree on terms. Jake Haro’s attorney has gone into hiding due to death threats.
“Most parents will tell you, ‘If my child’s missing, law enforcement can take, do, ask polygraph, whatever they need of me and my spouse, to find my child,’ and it doesn’t feel like that’s where they’re at,” Pope added.
Jake Haro previously pleaded guilty to willful child cruelty after his daughter with another woman, Promise Faith, was hospitalized with broken bones in 2018. Faith suffered severe injuries at 10 weeks old, leaving her unable to see, talk, or walk, according to journalist Abby Escobar.
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