On a November day in Lexington County, South Carolina, a young father stood before a magistrate and was denied bond after the authorities said he had buried his eleven-month-old son alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines. The child, Koah, was pulled from the earth after roughly a day, a survivor of cool air, a stroke of chance, and the tireless work of many searchers, and he is expected to recover. What drove a parent to such an act remains unexplained, and in the meantime a family's history of trouble, illness, and fear hangs over a case that will return to court on December 10.
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 rescued after about 24 hours; he was hospitalized and is expected to fully recover.
Rescuers dug Koah out after roughly 24 hours.
Mark
Start with the basics. What did the court decide Thursday?
Mimi
Magistrate Gary Reinhart denied bond for Michael Comer, 25, and approved a public defender. The next hearing is Dec. 10.
Mark
And the charges?
Mimi
Attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. He's been in custody since Monday, when Koah was reported missing.
Luke
Worth saying the claims that he showed no remorse and tried to flee the state come from the lead investigator in court. Those are the prosecution side's assertions, not findings.
Mark
How did the boy survive about 24 hours underground?
Mimi
The sheriff said cool temperatures and an air pocket from a towel wrapped around the crate. Searchers noticed freshly disturbed soil and heard cries.
Luke
That's the sheriff's explanation of why he lived, not a medical finding. What we do know is he was released from the hospital Tuesday night.
Mark
The 911 call adds a lot of context, doesn't it?
Mimi
His mother described severe mental illness, a threat of suicide the night before, and talk of taking the boy to New York despite his probation. She said she was worried about leaving Koah with him.
Luke
Those are a mother's words to a dispatcher. They aren't a diagnosis or a motive, and authorities have said nothing about motive. The October probation for domestic violence against the boy's mother is the only documented history here.
Mark
So what's still open?
Mimi
Motive, and Comer's defense, since no attorney has yet been named.
El Pulso
- A father accused of burying his infant son alive has been denied bond, and the courtroom now holds a silence where a motive should be.
- Dozens of first responders combed the countryside for a day before fresh soil and faint cries led them to a buried crate.
- Rescuers dug the boy out after roughly twenty-four hours, and the sheriff says a towel-lined air pocket and cool weather kept him alive.
- A public defender has been approved, but no attorney has yet been appointed, and the case is headed toward a December 10 hearing with its central question still open.
On a November day in Lexington County, South Carolina, a young father stood before a magistrate and was denied bond after the authorities said he had buried his eleven-month-old son alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines. The child, Koah, was pulled from the earth after roughly a day, a survivor of cool air, a stroke of chance, and the tireless work of many searchers, and he is expected to recover. What drove a parent to such an act remains unexplained, and in the meantime a family's history of trouble, illness, and fear hangs over a case that will return to court on December 10.
On Thursday, a magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond to Michael Comer, 25, who is accused of burying his eleven-month-old son alive in a dog crate beneath a clump of scrubby pines. The boy, Koah, survived and is expected to make a full recovery. Comer has been held in county custody since Monday, the day his son was reported missing.
The search drew dozens of first responders across the countryside. After a full day, investigators found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below. Rescuers dug Koah out after about twenty-four hours. The sheriff said the child was clinging to life when he was freed, and 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 that Monday. Speaking to reporters, he said he could not imagine how anyone could arrive at such an act. Authorities have not disclosed a motive. 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 painful glimpse into that morning. The boy's mother told a dispatcher that Comer had severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, and that she had worried about leaving Koah with him. She said he had threatened suicide the night before and talked of taking the child to New York, a trip he could not make while on probation.
Comer faces attempted murder, burglary and child endangerment charges. A defense attorney has yet to be appointed, and the case returns to court on December 10, with the question of why it happened still unanswered.
On Thursday, a magistrate 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. The boy, Koah, survived and is expected to make a full recovery.
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 his son and had tried to flee the state. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set the next hearing for Dec. 10. An attorney 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.
According to Sheriff Jay Koon, dozens of first responders searched the countryside for the boy, who has reddish-blond hair. After a full day, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries coming from below. Rescuers dug Koah out after roughly 24 hours. The sheriff told reporters the child was "clinging to life" when he was freed. Koon said the boy likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket formed by a towel wrapped around the crate underground. 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 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. In October, Comer was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother. The sheriff said Koah's parents "have had some situations," adding that children sometimes get caught in the middle.
A 911 call released Thursday offers a glimpse of the morning the boy vanished. Patricia Comer told the dispatcher that her son had "severe schizophrenia and bipolar and depression," and that she had been worried about leaving Koah with his father that morning. She said 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 case now moves to the Dec. 10 hearing, with a defense attorney still to be appointed and the question of motive unanswered.
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, the suspect's father, to the AP
Children sometimes get caught in the middle.— Sheriff Jay Koon
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