In a quiet stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a father's act reached past the ordinary bounds of protection and into the deepest fear a community can hold: a young child placed beneath the earth in a dog crate. Michael Comer, 25, now stands accused of attempted murder for an infant son whose survival rested on cool soil and a towel that trapped a small pocket of air. The court has withheld his release while the question of why such harm was attempted remains unanswered. For now, the boy is recovering, and the case waits, as such cases do, for the slow work of understanding what drove
Bond Denied for South Carolina Father Accused of Burying 11-Month-Old Son Alive
An 11-month-old boy was buried alive in a dog crate for about a day and was rescued, released from hospital, and expected to recover fully.
Rescuers found him after about 24 hours underground
Mark
The boy was underground for about a day and is expected to recover fully. How does that happen?
Mimi
The sheriff pointed to two things: cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate below ground. Rescuers found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries.
Mark
And the bond denial, what drove it?
Mimi
Investigator Tyler Douglas told the judge Michael Comer showed no remorse and tried to flee the state.
Luke
Worth noting that's the investigator's account in court. Comer hasn't had an attorney appointed yet, so we haven't heard a defense version.
Mark
There's a prior case too, right?
Mimi
Yes. In October he was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother.
Luke
But that's all we know. Authorities haven't said anything about motive, and the sheriff's remark that the parents have had some situations is general, not an explanation.
Mark
What about the grandfather?
Mimi
John Comer took in his son and grandson Monday after being told they needed a place to stay. He later showed a reporter the hole where the boy was found.
Luke
He said he can't imagine how anyone could do this. That's a reaction, not a fact about what happened.
Mark
What should we watch?
Mimi
The Dec. 10 hearing, and whether a motive or more family history emerges.
O Pulso
- A missing 11-month-old boy set off a frantic search across the countryside, with dozens of responders combing the land for hours.
- Rescuers heard faint cries from freshly disturbed soil and freed the child after roughly a full day underground, still clinging to life.
- The father has been denied bond, and a public defender has been appointed as the case moves toward its December 10 hearing.
- No motive has been revealed, leaving the community with a gap between a chilling act and any explanation for it.
In a quiet stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a father's act reached past the ordinary bounds of protection and into the deepest fear a community can hold: a young child placed beneath the earth in a dog crate. Michael Comer, 25, now stands accused of attempted murder for an infant son whose survival rested on cool soil and a towel that trapped a small pocket of air. The court has withheld his release while the question of why such harm was attempted remains unanswered. For now, the boy is recovering, and the case waits, as such cases do, for the slow work of understanding what drove a parent to the edge of unthinkable action.
On Thursday, a judge in Lexington County denied bond to Michael Comer, a 25-year-old man accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines. The sheriff's lead investigator told the court that Comer showed no remorse and had tried to flee the state.
The ordeal began on Monday, when Koah was reported missing. Dozens of first responders searched the countryside through the day until they found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below. The boy had been underground for about twenty-four hours. Sheriff Jay Koon said the child was clinging to life when pulled out, and that he likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate.
Koah has since been released from the hospital and is expected to recover fully. His grandfather, John Comer, had taken in his son and grandson just days before, and he described the rescue site with disbelief, saying he could not imagine how anyone could arrive at such an act.
Authorities have offered no motive. Court records show that in October Comer was placed on probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother, and the sheriff acknowledged the family had been through difficult situations. The next step is the December 10 hearing, where Comer will have a public defender and where investigators may finally explain what happened.
On Thursday, a judge in Lexington County, South Carolina, 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 Judge 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 at the time of the bond hearing.
Comer is charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. The charges stem from the disappearance and rescue of Koah, who is expected to make a full recovery. Comer has been held in Lexington County custody since Monday, the day his son was reported missing.
Dozens of first responders searched the countryside for the boy, who has reddish blond hair. After a full day of searching, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries coming from below, Sheriff Jay Koon said. Rescuers freed the child after about 24 hours underground. Koon told reporters Koah was "clinging to life" when he was pulled out.
The sheriff said the boy likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket formed by a towel that had been wrapped around the crate below ground. Koah was released from the hospital Tuesday night.
John Comer, the suspect's father, said he had opened his home to his son and grandson on Monday after Michael Comer told him they needed a place to stay. On Wednesday, he showed an Associated Press reporter the small hole on a neighbor's property where rescuers had 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 told the AP.
Authorities have not said anything about a possible motive. Court history offers one piece of 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.
Next is the Dec. 10 hearing, where Comer will have a public defender. What remains to be seen is whether investigators disclose a motive and more about the family's history.
Citações Notáveis
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, the suspect's father, to the AP
Children sometimes get caught in the middle.— Sheriff Jay Koon
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em WDIV ClickOnDetroit ↗