In a Lexington County courtroom, a man accused of burying his eleven-month-old son alive has been held without bond, leaving a grim chapter whose details are still unfolding. The child, Koah, was found after a day of anxious searching, his survival attributed to cool ground and a towel-lined air pocket. Why a father would do such a thing remains unexplained, as family history and a mother's frightened account point toward a troubled household whose reasons have not yet been made clear.
Bond Denied for South Carolina Father Accused of Burying His 11-Month-Old Son Alive
An 11-month-old boy was buried alive in a dog crate and rescued after about 24 hours; he survived and is expected to make a full recovery.
Koah was found after about 24 hours, clinging to life
Mark
What stands out first is how quickly this unfolded. Missing Monday, found about a day later?
Mimi
Yes. Dozens of responders searched, and the break came when someone noticed freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from beneath it.
Mark
And the boy survived because of what, exactly?
Luke
The sheriff's explanation: cool temperatures and an air pocket from a towel wrapped around the crate. That's his account of why, not a medical finding we've seen.
Mark
The charges are attempted murder, burglary and putting a child at risk. Why burglary?
Luke
The reporting doesn't say. We have the charge but not the reasoning behind it, so I wouldn't guess.
Mimi
The 911 call is the most human piece. His mother said she was worried about leaving Koah with him that morning.
Mark
She also described his mental health history.
Luke
Careful there. Those are her words to a dispatcher, not a diagnosis confirmed by officials or court records.
Mark
Is there any known motive?
Luke
No. Authorities haven't said anything. The October domestic violence probation and the sheriff's remark about parents having had situations are context, not explanation.
Mimi
And the investigator said he showed no remorse and tried to flee, which is what the judge heard before denying bond.
Luke
Which is testimony at a bond hearing, not a finding. Comer hasn't had an attorney appointed yet, so we haven't heard his side.
Der Puls
- A father is charged with attempted murder after his infant son was found buried alive in a dog crate beneath scrubby pines.
- Dozens of first responders combed the countryside through a full day, until freshly disturbed soil and faint cries led them to the boy.
- The child, freed while still clinging to life, was released from the hospital and is expected to recover fully.
- The accused was denied bond, a public defender was approved, and no attorney has yet been appointed for him.
- The motive is still undisclosed, and all eyes turn to a December 10 hearing where answers may begin to surface.
In a Lexington County courtroom, a man accused of burying his eleven-month-old son alive has been held without bond, leaving a grim chapter whose details are still unfolding. The child, Koah, was found after a day of anxious searching, his survival attributed to cool ground and a towel-lined air pocket. Why a father would do such a thing remains unexplained, as family history and a mother's frightened account point toward a troubled household whose reasons have not yet been made clear.
On Thursday, a magistrate in Lexington County denied bond to Michael Comer, a 25-year-old accused of burying his 11-month-old son, Koah, alive in a dog crate beneath a clump of pines. The investigator told the court that Comer showed no remorse and had tried to flee the state. Comer is charged with attempted murder, burglary and endangering a child, and he has been in custody since Monday, the day his son was reported missing.
The search had consumed dozens of first responders. After roughly a day of combing the countryside, rescuers noticed freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from beneath it. The sheriff said the boy was clinging to life when he was freed. Cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel around the crate likely kept him alive. He left the hospital Tuesday night and is expected to recover fully.
The boy's grandfather had taken in his son and grandson on Monday, and he spoke of his disbelief at what had happened. Court records show Comer had recently been sentenced to probation for domestic violence involving the boy's mother. A 911 call released Thursday described a son with severe mental illness, who had threatened suicide the night before and talked of taking the boy to New York, something his probation barred him from doing.
For now, the motive remains unknown. A December 10 hearing is scheduled, and an attorney for Comer has yet to be appointed.
On Thursday, in a Lexington County courtroom, a magistrate denied bond to Michael Comer, a 25-year-old South Carolina 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 his son, Koah, and that he tried to flee the state. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for Dec. 10. An attorney has 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 is expected to make a full recovery.
Rescuers found the boy after about 24 hours. Dozens of first responders had combed the countryside looking for a child with reddish-blond hair. At the end of a full day of searching, Sheriff Jay Koon said, authorities noticed freshly disturbed soil and heard cries coming from below it. Koon told reporters the boy was "clinging to life" when he was freed. He was released from the hospital Tuesday night.
The sheriff said Koah likely survived because of the cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate underground.
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 somewhere 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, 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 a dispatcher that her son had "severe schizophrenia and bipolar and depression," and 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 said he kept making comments about taking the boy to New York, which she noted he could not do because he was on probation.
What comes next is the Dec. 10 hearing, by which point an attorney for Comer should be in place. The question of motive remains open.
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, the suspect's father, to the AP
Children sometimes get caught in the middle.— Sheriff Jay Koon
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