More than a year after her remains were found on a softball field in Delaware, police have two persons of interest in custody regarding the death of 3-year-old Emma Cole—her mother, Kristie Haas, and stepfather Brandon Haas.
On Sept. 13, 2019, a man walking his dog discovered the remains of an unidentified child on a softball field. Forensic examinations conducted by Smithsonian Institution forensic anthropologist David Hunt confirmed the child was a white or Hispanic girl between the ages of 2 and 5 with slightly wavy brown hair. An anthropological exam of her remains suggested she suffered from chronic illnesses, and was deceased for several weeks or longer before her remains were found.
Throughout the investigation, the Smyrna Police partnered with multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Delaware Division of Forensic Science and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). In fact, two months after the discovery, the Smyrna Police Department released facial reconstruction images created by forensic artists with NCMEC that depicted what the child may have looked like prior to her death. The police distributed the photo nationwide, focusing on the immediate, local area first, in hopes of identifying the little girl.
There were no immediate leads after the November 2019 facial reconstruction release, but last week, Smyrna Police investigators said they reached a breakthrough in the case. A subsequent announcement revealed Kristie Haas, 28, and Brandon Haas, 38, formerly from Smyrna but now living in Pennsylvania, are persons of interest in the case and in custody out-of-state.
More importantly, police were finally able to preliminarily identify the child victim as 3-year-old Emma Cole.
“This investigation remains active and ongoing, and there are no further details to be released at this time. There is no active threat to public safety,” Smyrna Police Department said in a statement Thursday.
Scouring social media, Delaware State News has reported it appears there are three more young children in the Haas family, with some photos showing a young girl who appears to be absent from other photos.
Photo credit: Facial reconstruction done by NCMEC forensic artists. Credit: NCMEC/Smyrna Police Department