An 11-month-old boy who went missing from his home in Lexington County, South Carolina, was found alive after being buried in a shallow hole in a dog crate for about 24 hours. The baby, Koah Sharpe, was discovered after search and rescue teams spotted freshly disturbed dirt near his father's house.
Search and Rescue
Koah was last seen with his father, Michael Comer, 25, whose own mother had been taking care of the baby on Monday. When Comer was left with the baby before another caregiver arrived, the pair had vanished. An urgent search was launched.
During the search, rescue teams noticed freshly disturbed dirt near Comer's father's house. When they began digging, they could hear Koah crying. He was found wrapped in a towel and buried in a dog crate, according to county sheriff Jay Koon.
Survival and Recovery
Koon described the moment of discovery: "As they probed it and laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying. As you imagine, the race was on, everybody's getting down there trying to get him out."
The towel is believed to have created an air pocket that helped Koah survive the ordeal. He was pulled from the ground yesterday afternoon, and police believe he spent 24 hours buried in the shallow hole. The sheriff said the baby was "clinging to life" and described hearing him cry as the "most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby."
Koah was rushed to the hospital, where he is recovering. Koon added: "Hopefully at 11 months old, he will not remember much of this as he grows older, just to have a great inspiring story to tell."
Father Arrested
Comer was located inside an outbuilding on Monday night in the Batesburg-Leesville area, according to ABC News. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary and resisting arrest charges, but authorities are determining whether additional charges will be brought, the sheriff said.
