On a Thursday in a Lexington County courtroom, a magistrate kept a 25-year-old father, Michael Comer, behind bars after he was accused of burying his infant son alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines. The child, eleven months old, was found after a day of desperate searching and is expected to recover, though the reason a parent would turn against his own child remains unexplained. Such cases ask a community to reckon with how quickly family fragility can become catastrophe, and how much of the truth still lies beneath the surface.
Bond Denied for South Carolina Father Accused of Burying 11-Month-Old Son Alive in Dog Crate
An 11-month-old boy was buried alive in a dog crate and survived after rescuers found him roughly 24 hours later.
Rescuers heard cries from below the freshly disturbed soil
Mark
Start with the basics. What happened Thursday?
Mimi
A magistrate in Lexington County denied bond to Michael Comer, 25. He's charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk after his 11-month-old son, Koah, was found buried in a dog crate.
Mark
And the boy is okay?
Mimi
He was released from the hospital Tuesday night and is expected to recover fully. Rescuers found him after about 24 hours.
Luke
Worth noting the survival explanation is the sheriff's. He said cool temperatures and an air pocket from a towel around the crate likely kept Koah alive. That's an assessment, not a medical finding we've seen.
Mark
Why did the investigator say Comer should stay jailed?
Mimi
Tyler Douglas told the magistrate Comer showed no remorse and tried to flee the state. Those are the investigator's claims in court.
Luke
Right, and Comer has no appointed attorney yet, so nothing has been answered on his side. Those are allegations, not findings.
Mark
Is there a motive?
Mimi
Authorities haven't said. We know he was sentenced to probation in October for domestic violence involving Koah's mother, and the sheriff said the parents have had some situations.
Luke
And the 911 call has his mother describing mental illness and a suicide threat. That's her account to a dispatcher. It doesn't establish why this happened, and officials haven't linked it to a motive.
Mark
What's next?
Mimi
A hearing on Dec. 10.
El Pulso
- A bond denial has locked Michael Comer in custody while the question of why he allegedly buried his son remains unanswered.
- For roughly 24 hours, dozens of responders combed the countryside for an 11-month-old boy until disturbed soil and faint cries led them to him.
- A towel-lined air pocket and cool weather may have kept Koah alive, and he has since been released from the hospital.
- A public defender is being lined up ahead of a December 10 hearing, with prosecutors and investigators still withholding a motive.
- Family accounts point to prior probation, mental health concerns and threats of self-harm, pressing the case toward a reckoning still ahead.
On a Thursday in a Lexington County courtroom, a magistrate kept a 25-year-old father, Michael Comer, behind bars after he was accused of burying his infant son alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines. The child, eleven months old, was found after a day of desperate searching and is expected to recover, though the reason a parent would turn against his own child remains unexplained. Such cases ask a community to reckon with how quickly family fragility can become catastrophe, and how much of the truth still lies beneath the surface.
On Thursday, a magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond to Michael Comer, 25, who is accused of burying his 11-month-old son, Koah, alive in a dog crate beneath a patch of pines. Investigators told the court that Comer showed no remorse and had tried to flee the state. He faces charges of attempted murder, burglary and placing a child at risk, and he has been in custody since Monday, the day the boy was reported missing.
The search lasted about a day. Dozens of first responders looked for a child with reddish-blond hair until they found freshly disturbed soil and heard crying from underground. The sheriff said cool temperatures and an air pocket made by a towel around the crate likely saved the boy, who was described as clinging to life when freed. He has since left the hospital and is expected to recover fully.
The boy's grandfather, John Comer, had taken in his son and grandson on Monday after Michael asked for a place to stay. He pointed reporters to the hole on a neighbor's property and said he could not imagine how anyone could reach such a decision.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive. Comer was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother. A 911 call released Thursday adds another layer: his mother told a dispatcher that he had severe mental illness, had threatened suicide the night before, and had talked of taking the child to New York, a trip she said he could not legally make. A hearing is set for December 10, and a defense attorney should be in place by then.
On Thursday, in a Lexington County courtroom in South Carolina, a magistrate denied bond to Michael Comer, a 25-year-old man accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive in a dog crate beneath a clump of scrubby pines.
Tyler Douglas, the lead investigator for the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, told Magistrate Gary W. Reinhart that Comer showed no remorse for trying to kill the boy, Koah, and that he had tried to flee the state. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for Dec. 10. An attorney had not yet been appointed.
Comer is charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. He has been in custody in Lexington County since Monday, the day his son was reported missing. Koah survived and is expected to make a full recovery. Sheriff Jay Koon said the boy was released from a hospital Tuesday night.
Rescuers found Koah after about 24 hours. Dozens of first responders had combed the countryside for a child with reddish-blond hair. After a full day of searching, the sheriff said, authorities came across freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below ground. Koon said the boy likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate underground. When he was freed, the sheriff told reporters, Koah was "clinging to life."
John Comer, the suspect's father, had taken in his son and grandson on Monday after Michael Comer said they needed a place to stay. On Wednesday, he showed an Associated Press reporter the small hole on a neighbor's property where rescuers uncovered the child. "I cannot imagine how somebody could come to the point that that would be the right thing to do, or the thing to do at all," he said.
Authorities have not revealed a motive. The court record offers some background: in October, Comer was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother. Koon said Koah's parents "have had some situations," and added that children sometimes get caught in the middle.
A 911 call released Thursday adds another layer. Patricia Comer told the dispatcher that her son had "severe schizophrenia and bipolar and depression." She said she had been "kindly worried" about leaving Koah with his father that morning. According to her, he had threatened to kill himself the night before and asked her for sleeping pills. She also said he kept saying he was going to take the child to New York, which she noted he could not do because he was on probation.
The next step is the Dec. 10 hearing, by which time a defense attorney should be in place. Motive remains publicly unexplained.
Citas Notables
I cannot imagine how somebody could come to the point that that would be the right thing to do, or the thing to do at all.— John Comer, suspect's father, to the AP
Children sometimes get caught in the middle.— Sheriff Jay Koon
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