In a stand of scrubby pines in Lexington County, South Carolina, a young father is now held without bond on charges that would have ended his son's life had the earth not been disturbed by chance and care. The boy, eleven months old, survived a day underground in a buried dog crate, and he is expected to recover, though the reasons behind such an act remain outside what authorities have yet been willing to say. Across the wider human record, we have long known that families can hold both the deepest protection and the sharpest danger, and this case asks again how that tension breaks. For now t
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 and rescued after about 24 hours, now expected to recover fully.
Rescuers heard cries from below the freshly disturbed soil
Mark
Why did the judge deny bond here?
Mimi
The lead investigator told the magistrate that Comer showed no remorse and tried to flee the state. Those were the points put before the court.
Luke
Worth noting those are the investigator's statements at a hearing. They're allegations, not findings. Comer hasn't had a trial.
Mark
What do we know about the rescue itself?
Mimi
Searchers found freshly disturbed soil after a full day and heard cries from below. The sheriff said cool temperatures and an air pocket from a towel around the crate probably kept Koah alive.
Luke
Careful with "probably." That's the sheriff's assessment of why he survived, not a medical conclusion.
Mark
Is there any explanation for what happened?
Mimi
Not from authorities. They've disclosed no motive. We know about an October domestic violence plea involving the boy's mother, and the sheriff said the parents have had situations.
Luke
And the 911 call is the mother's account of her son's mental health and threats. It's one person's description, and it doesn't establish motive. Nobody official has linked any of it to the charges.
Mark
What's next?
Mimi
A Dec. 10 hearing, with a public defender approved.
Der Puls
- A father is accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive in a dog crate, and the county's search had to reach the boy before the cold and the closed air did.
- Dozens of first responders combed the countryside for a day until fresh soil and faint cries revealed where the child lay.
- The magistrate denied bond, a public defender was appointed, and investigators are weighing charges of attempted murder, burglary and child endangerment.
- The family's own words, from a grandmother's 911 call about mental illness and threats, now sit alongside an unresolved motive, and the case lands on a hearing in early December.
In a stand of scrubby pines in Lexington County, South Carolina, a young father is now held without bond on charges that would have ended his son's life had the earth not been disturbed by chance and care. The boy, eleven months old, survived a day underground in a buried dog crate, and he is expected to recover, though the reasons behind such an act remain outside what authorities have yet been willing to say. Across the wider human record, we have long known that families can hold both the deepest protection and the sharpest danger, and this case asks again how that tension breaks. For now the courtroom has taken its first step, and the question of why waits for the hearing set for December 10.
A magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond on Thursday to Michael Comer, 25, accused of burying his 11-month-old son, Koah, in a dog crate in a stand of scrubby pines. The boy survived and is expected to make a full recovery.
For about a day, dozens of first responders searched the countryside for the child with reddish-blond hair. Authorities finally spotted freshly disturbed soil and heard cries beneath it. Sheriff Jay Koon said the boy was clinging to life, and he believes cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel around the crate helped him survive. Koah was released from the hospital Tuesday night.
Comer's father, John, had opened his home to his son and grandson on Monday. He said he could not imagine how anyone would come to such a choice. Records show Comer was placed on probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother.
A 911 call released Thursday offered more context. Comer's mother described him as severely ill and said he had threatened suicide and talked of taking the child to New York, which probation barred him from doing. Investigators have not disclosed a motive. A public defender is now appointed, and the next step is a hearing on December 10.
A magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond on Thursday for Michael Comer, a 25-year-old man accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in a stand of scrubby pines. The boy, Koah, survived and is expected to make a full recovery.
At the hearing, Tyler Douglas, lead investigator for the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, told Magistrate Gary W. Reinhart that Comer showed no remorse for trying to kill his son and had tried to leave the state. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for Dec. 10. An attorney for Comer had not yet been appointed at the time of the hearing.
Comer is charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. He has been held in Lexington County custody since Monday, the day his son was reported missing.
Rescuers found Koah after about 24 hours. Dozens of first responders had searched the countryside for the boy, who has reddish-blond hair. After a full day, Sheriff Jay Koon said, authorities spotted freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from beneath it. The sheriff said the child was freed and was "clinging to life." Koon said Koah likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate underground. The boy 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 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 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 said nothing about a motive. The record does show that 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 some detail. Patricia Comer, who described herself as the suspect's mother, 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 talking about taking the child to New York, which he could not do because he was on probation.
The next step is the Dec. 10 hearing, with a public defender now approved. The question of why remains unanswered by investigators.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
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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