An 11-month-old boy who was reported missing on Monday has survived being buried alive in a dog crate for roughly 24 hours, according to police in Lexington County, South Carolina. The child's father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, has been charged with attempted murder and additional charges.
Koah Sharp was reported missing on Monday in Lexington County, just west of Columbia. A search involving about 100 people was launched to find him. Following a full day of searching on Tuesday, officers discovered recently disturbed earth in woodland close to the home of the boy's grandfather and heard cries coming from beneath the ground, the sheriff said.
Discovery and Rescue
Koah was quickly freed and was "clinging to life," the sheriff told reporters. "He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the baby world, I would guess," Sheriff Koon said.
His father, Michael Comer, was arrested while hiding in a building in Batesburg-Leesville. He has been held in custody since Monday when Koah vanished, and a court hearing was scheduled for Thursday. It is unclear if Comer has entered any pleas yet.
Family Reaction and Background
"We're better now that we know that Koah is safe," his great-aunt, Amber Hammond, told The Associated Press. She witnessed him being released from the crate. Officials said Koah had been under the care of Comer's mother, who needed to run an errand and left the boy with Comer while another carer was en route. "By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone, and Koah was gone with him," the sheriff said.
CCTV footage from multiple businesses in the vicinity showed Comer without the infant on Monday afternoon, Koon said. Koah's parents "have had some situations" regarding domestic violence charges, the sheriff said. "Children," he said, "sometimes get caught in the middle."
Prior Charges and Current Status
Hammond said her nephew had discussed taking the baby to New York because "he didn't want to be in the same state as the mom." When Koah disappeared, she and others presumed Comer had handed the boy to someone. "We had no idea something like this would happen at all," Hammond said.
Comer was given probation in October after admitting guilt to domestic violence and aggravated breach-of-peace charges following an arrest in July, Lexington County online court records show. Prosecutors withdrew a firearms charge as part of the plea agreement. He also received credit for spending over two months behind bars.
At almost a year old, Koah has been attempting to stand independently, said Hammond, who looked after him last weekend. "I'd go to feed him, and it had Mickey Mouse on," Hammond said. "You can't feed him and have Mickey Mouse on at the same time."
