Mum claims baby kidnapped while she changed his nappy - before odd twist

A mum claimed her baby was kidnapped while she changed his nappy on the backseat of her car.

Police are now searching for little Emmanuel Haro, who was taken from his mum Rebecca's car in front of a shopping centre in Yucaipa, California on Thursday. However, since then, Rebecca has reportedly stopped cooperating with police despite allegedly being attacked during the ordeal.

The mum claimed she was left unconscious by the attack, said to have left her with a black eye. She had appealed for the public's help to find her seven-month-old son, who she described as "a happy boy". He and the baby's father Jake Haro had said: "We just want him back. We won't do anything to you. Just give us our son."

But it is understood police have questioned inconsistencies in Rebecca's story, which she says happened minutes after she attempted to change Emmanuel's nappy on the backseat of the car, parked outside the Big 5 retail store in Yucaipa. Rebecca, who has an older son, alleges she was hit from behind during the process.

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In its latest update on the case, the the sheriff’s office said: "During those interviews, Rebecca was confronted with inconsistencies in her initial statement and declined to continue with the interview... At this point in the investigation, investigators are unable to rule out foul play in the disappearance of Emmanuel."

Talking to reporters at NBC LA, Rebecca previously said: "I noticed a smell from my baby so I wanted to change him before going into the store. I took him out of the car seat and I laid him on the chair. I had his diapers here and someone said, 'Hola.' I couldn’t turn and I don’t remember nothing. I got up from the floor and didn’t see my child. Someone took him from me."

Police on Thursday brought scent-tracking dogs to try to locate the infant, but the dogs were unable to lead authorities to the missing boy. Officers have not yet released details about the attack or any description of the attacker or attackers.

Begging for Emmanuel to be returned, Rebecca had said: "He's a happy boy. He was a healthy baby, he was crawling, he was kicking, he was playing with his toys. Whoever took our son, please give him back."

Jake said: "Whoever took my son, please return him... We just want him back. We won't do anything to you. Just give us our son. Keep him safe, don't hurt him, make sure you feed him and change him."