In a quiet stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a young father stands accused of an act so far outside ordinary human life that the mind resists it: burying his eleven-month-old son alive in a dog crate. The boy was found by rescuers after roughly a day beneath the soil, and he is expected to recover, carried by cold air and a small pocket of breathable space. The magistrate's refusal of bond places the case in the slow machinery of justice, where the motive remains unspoken and the family's history of violence and illness waits to be weighed in a hearing set for December 10.
Bond Denied for South Carolina Father Accused of Burying Infant Son Alive in Dog Crate
An 11-month-old boy was buried alive in a dog crate and survived after about 24 hours, rescued by first responders.
Rescuers heard cries from below the freshly disturbed soil.
Mark
What stands out most to me is how long the boy was missing. About 24 hours?
Mimi
Yes. Dozens of first responders searched, and it ended when they noticed freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from underground.
Mark
And he survived because of the cool weather and a towel?
Mimi
That's the sheriff's explanation: cool temperatures, plus an air pocket from a towel wrapped around the crate below ground.
Luke
Worth saying that's the sheriff's assessment of why he lived. It's a reasonable explanation, but it isn't a medical finding, and the reporting doesn't offer one.
Mark
The 911 call adds a lot, doesn't it? His mother described mental illness and a suicide threat.
Mimi
She did, and she said she was worried about leaving Koah with him that morning. She also mentioned he talked about taking the child to New York.
Luke
But be careful. Those are one family member's words on a call. Nothing here confirms a diagnosis, and authorities haven't offered a motive.
Mark
What about the prior domestic violence case?
Mimi
He pleaded guilty and got probation in October. The sheriff said the parents have had situations and children get caught in the middle.
Luke
That's context, not explanation. We also only have the investigator's claim that he showed no remorse and tried to flee. Comer's defense hasn't been heard; no attorney is even appointed yet.
Mark
So Dec. 10 is the date to watch.
Mimi
Right, that's the next hearing.
Der Puls
- A father's denial of bond has landed in a county already shaken by the discovery of a child buried alive.
- Dozens of responders searched through a full day until fresh soil and faint cries revealed where the boy lay.
- Investigators press forward with attempted murder charges while no motive has been publicly named and no defense attorney is yet in place.
- A 911 call from the suspect's mother paints a grim portrait of mental illness and threats, and the case now moves toward a December 10 hearing.
In a quiet stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a young father stands accused of an act so far outside ordinary human life that the mind resists it: burying his eleven-month-old son alive in a dog crate. The boy was found by rescuers after roughly a day beneath the soil, and he is expected to recover, carried by cold air and a small pocket of breathable space. The magistrate's refusal of bond places the case in the slow machinery of justice, where the motive remains unspoken and the family's history of violence and illness waits to be weighed in a hearing set for December 10.
On Thursday, a magistrate in Lexington, 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 scrubby pines. The boy, Koah, survived and is expected to make a full recovery. He was reported missing on Monday, and Comer has been held in county custody since that day.
Dozens of first responders combed the countryside until authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below. Rescuers freed the boy about 24 hours after he vanished. The sheriff believes cool temperatures and an air pocket made by a towel wrapped 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. He later showed a reporter the small hole where the child was found, saying he could not imagine how anyone could reach such a point.
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 another view: his mother told the dispatcher that he has severe mental illness, had threatened suicide the night before, and had talked of taking the child to New York, something probation prevented.
The next step is a hearing on December 10, when Comer is due back in court, with counsel still to be appointed.
On Thursday, a magistrate in Lexington, 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. He is expected to make a full recovery.
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 flee the state. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for Dec. 10. An attorney had not yet been appointed. Comer has been charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk, and he has been held in Lexington County custody since Monday, the day the boy was reported missing.
Dozens of first responders searched the countryside for the child, who has reddish-blond hair. After a full day, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below, Sheriff Jay Koon said. Rescuers freed the boy about 24 hours after he disappeared. Koon said he was "clinging to life" when he was pulled out.
The sheriff said the child most likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created 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 said what motive may lie behind the attack. The record does show that Comer was sentenced in October to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother. Sheriff Koon said Koah's parents "have had some situations," and added that children sometimes get caught in the middle.
A 911 call released Thursday gives another view of that Monday morning. Patricia Comer told the dispatcher that her son has "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 had 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 is on probation.
The next formal step is the Dec. 10 hearing, when Comer is due back before the court with counsel yet to be named.
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
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Hartford Courant ↗