An 11-month-old boy was found buried alive in a dog crate in the woods near Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina, after his father allegedly took him, authorities said.
Rescuers had been searching for nearly a day when they heard the baby crying on Tuesday afternoon. “The race was on,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said, describing how people rushed to dig him out.
Koah Sharp and his 25-year-old father, Michael Comer, were reported missing Monday afternoon. Koah had been left in Comer’s care at the home of Comer’s mother while she ran an errand. When another caregiver arrived, the father and child were gone.
Deputies later found Comer near Batesburg-Leesville, but Koah was not with him. Investigators searched the woods near the home of Comer’s father and spotted dirt that appeared to have been recently disturbed, about 50 yards into the trees.
Koah was beneath the soil, inside what Koon described as a dog crate and wrapped in a towel. The sheriff said the towel may have left the baby with enough air to survive. Based on information about Comer’s whereabouts, investigators believe Koah had been buried for roughly 24 hours.
“Certainly, God is good,” Koon said. Koah was being treated at a hospital, and the sheriff said he hoped the child would make a full recovery.
Comer was first arrested on burglary and resisting-arrest charges. He now faces charges of attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary, according to the sheriff’s office.
Public records show Comer was placed on probation about a month earlier after pleading guilty to aggravated breach of peace. He also had earlier arrests this year involving domestic violence and a weapons-related charge.
A bond hearing was scheduled for Thursday morning. “We want to thank everybody and just celebrate the fact today that an 11-month-old baby is alive,” Koon said.
