In a quiet stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a father stands accused of an act so far outside ordinary parental life that it strains the language meant to describe it: burying his eleven-month-old son alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines. The boy was found after a day of searching by a community of responders who, in the end, heard a cry rising through disturbed earth, and he is expected to recover. The magistrate's refusal of bond and the scheduling of a December hearing now turn the matter from a rescue into a question of law, and of why a man already under court supervision
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 about 24 hours, now expected to make a full recovery.
Rescuers heard cries from below the freshly disturbed soil.
Mark
Start with the survival. How does an 11-month-old last about 24 hours underground?
Mimi
The sheriff pointed to two things: cool temperatures and an air pocket from a towel wrapped around the crate below ground. Rescuers found disturbed soil and heard crying.
Luke
Worth noting that's the sheriff's explanation, not a medical finding. The reporting doesn't include a doctor's account of why Koah lived.
Mark
What about the 911 call from Patricia Comer?
Mimi
She described her son as having severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, and said he'd threatened suicide the night before. She was already uneasy about leaving Koah with him.
Luke
Those are her words on a call, not a diagnosis confirmed in court. And authorities haven't named a motive, so we shouldn't connect that call to the charges.
Mark
Is there a prior history?
Mimi
Yes. In October he was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving Koah's mother.
Luke
And the claim that he showed no remorse and tried to flee the state comes from the lead investigator at the bond hearing. It's testimony, and no defense account is in the reporting yet.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
A hearing on Dec. 10, with a public defender approved but no attorney yet appointed.
Il Polso
- A father is held without bond after an 11-month-old was buried alive, and the county is still reeling from how close the child came to dying.
- Dozens of responders combed the countryside for about 24 hours before fresh soil and muffled cries led them to the boy.
- Investigators say the suspect showed no remorse and had tried to leave the state, while his own family struggles to comprehend what happened.
- A 911 call describing severe mental illness and threats of self-harm has surfaced, but no motive has been disclosed.
- With a public defender approved and a hearing set for December 10, the case is heading toward a courtroom where the question of why remains open.
In a quiet stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a father stands accused of an act so far outside ordinary parental life that it strains the language meant to describe it: burying his eleven-month-old son alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines. The boy was found after a day of searching by a community of responders who, in the end, heard a cry rising through disturbed earth, and he is expected to recover. The magistrate's refusal of bond and the scheduling of a December hearing now turn the matter from a rescue into a question of law, and of why a man already under court supervision for violence at home might reach such a point. The reason itself remains unspoken, and that silence is part of what the public must sit with.
A magistrate in Lexington, South Carolina, denied bond on Thursday for Michael Comer, a 25-year-old accused of burying his 11-month-old son, Koah, alive in a dog crate beneath a clump of scrubby pines. Comer faces charges of attempted murder, burglary and placing a child at risk. He has been in custody since Monday, the day the boy was reported missing, and a public defender has been approved while the next hearing is set for Dec. 10.
For about 24 hours, dozens of first responders searched the countryside for the reddish-blond boy. When the search finally found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below, the sheriff said Koah was freed soon after, clinging to life. He left the hospital Tuesday night and is expected to make a full recovery. The sheriff credited cool temperatures and an air pocket formed by a towel wrapped around the crate.
John Comer, the suspect's father, had opened his home to his son and grandson on Monday when Michael said they needed somewhere to stay. He led an AP reporter to the small hole on a neighbor's property, saying he could not imagine how anyone could arrive at such a choice.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive. Michael Comer had been sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother. A 911 call released Thursday offers a further glimpse: his mother, Patricia Comer, told the dispatcher he had severe mental illness, had threatened to kill himself the night before, and kept saying he would take the child to New York, which she said he could not do while on probation. She said she had been worried about leaving Koah with him. The case now moves toward December, with the question of why still unanswered.
A magistrate in Lexington, South Carolina, denied bond on Thursday for 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. Magistrate Gary W. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set the next 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, all connected to the disappearance and rescue of his son, Koah. He has been in custody in Lexington County since Monday, the day the boy was reported missing. At the hearing, Tyler Douglas, the lead investigator for the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, told the magistrate that Comer showed no remorse for trying to kill the child and had tried to leave the state.
Koah was found after about 24 hours. Dozens of first responders had combed the countryside looking for the boy, who has reddish-blond hair. After a full day of searching, Sheriff Jay Koon said, authorities spotted freshly disturbed soil and heard cries coming from below it. The sheriff said Koah was freed soon after and was "clinging to life." He was released from the hospital Tuesday night and is expected to make a full recovery.
Koon offered an explanation for why the boy survived: cool temperatures, and an air pocket created by a towel that had been wrapped around the crate below ground.
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 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 disclosed a motive. Court history offers some context: in October, Michael 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," adding that children "sometimes get caught in the middle."
A 911 call released Thursday gave a further account from the morning of the disappearance. Patricia Comer, who identified Michael as her son, told the dispatcher he 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, and he kept saying he would take the child to New York, which she said he could not do because he was on probation. Part of her statement was unintelligible on the recording.
The case now moves toward the Dec. 10 hearing, with a defense attorney still to be appointed and the question of motive unanswered.
Citazioni salienti
Children sometimes get caught in the middle.— Sheriff Jay Koon
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
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