In a Lexington County courtroom, a judge has kept Michael Comer, 25, behind bars after prosecutors say he buried his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in the woods outside Batesburg-Leesville. The boy, Koah, survived nearly a day underground through a chance of air, cold weather and a search that refused to stop, and he has since gone home. Comer's story, shadowed by probation, untreated illness and a family that sensed danger before anyone could act, now waits for a December hearing where the question of why may finally be pressed.
Father Denied Bond in Case of 11-Month-Old Buried Alive; 911 Call Details Frantic Search
A 11-month-old infant was buried alive in a dog crate and survived after rescuers dug him out; the father is jailed.
You could hear little Koah crying
Mark
What stands out first is how long the baby survived.
Mimi
Nearly 24 hours. Sheriff Koon points to the towel, which held an air pocket, and the 45-degree weather. And the search itself: more than 100 people.
Mark
The grandmother's 911 call came before any of that. What does it show?
Mimi
Worry that was already building. She'd been uneasy the night before about leaving Koah with him, and she described threats of leaving for New York and of self-harm.
Luke
Careful, though. Those statements are her account on a call. The reporting says investigators cite threats in text messages and from family, but it doesn't confirm what each one said.
Mark
And the mental health history she mentioned?
Luke
Same caution. That's what she told the dispatcher. Nothing in the reporting says it's been verified or what role it plays in the case.
Mark
Why was Comer caring for the baby at all, without custody?
Mimi
The mother has custody. Comer's mother was watching Koah Monday, stepped out, and the baby was gone when the next caregiver arrived.
Luke
Burial around noon Monday is Koon's "likely," not a confirmed time. And there's still no stated motive.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
Comer stays jailed, with a hearing Dec. 10.
El Pulso
- A father on probation vanished with his infant son, and a family's frantic calls to 911 revealed warnings that arrived too late to stop what followed.
- Search crews worked through the night and into the next day, and a searcher spotted disturbed ground in the woods that led them to a buried crate.
- Koah was pulled out alive, crying, after nearly 24 hours underground, and was treated and released to his family the same day.
- Comer faces attempted murder and related charges, and a judge refused bond while investigators still have not established a motive.
- The case now rests on a December 10 hearing, with a mental health history, prior arrests and a missing motive hanging over the next steps.
In a Lexington County courtroom, a judge has kept Michael Comer, 25, behind bars after prosecutors say he buried his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in the woods outside Batesburg-Leesville. The boy, Koah, survived nearly a day underground through a chance of air, cold weather and a search that refused to stop, and he has since gone home. Comer's story, shadowed by probation, untreated illness and a family that sensed danger before anyone could act, now waits for a December hearing where the question of why may finally be pressed.
On a Thursday morning in a Lexington County courtroom, a judge refused to set bond for Michael Comer, 25, the father accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive. Comer was kept out of view of the cameras, and the proceeding moved forward with a public defender appointed and the next hearing set for Dec. 10.
The boy, Koah Sharp, was found Tuesday in a wire dog crate wrapped in a towel, buried about a foot underground in woods off Parthenon Road. Sheriff Jay Koon said the towel trapped enough air for him to survive nearly 24 hours. Searchers heard him crying when they reached him. He was treated at a hospital, released the same day, and is back with family, expected to recover fully.
The alarm was raised by Koah's grandmother, who told a 911 dispatcher that Comer and the baby could not be found. She said Comer had been out of jail for only about a month, was on probation, had talked of going to New York, had threatened suicide the night before, and was unreachable. She had worried about leaving the baby with him, and she did not know where they were.
Investigators say Comer left a caregiver's home in Gaston that Monday morning and was seen in Batesburg-Leesville around noon, when Koon believes the child was buried. More than 100 searchers, including a State Law Enforcement Division helicopter crew, combed the area until a searcher noticed disturbed ground on Tuesday afternoon.
Comer was arrested the night before in a shed that was not his. He faces attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary. He has prior arrests this year for domestic violence and weapons, and investigators have not said what they believe his motive was. He remains in jail until the December hearing.
On Thursday morning in a Lexington County courtroom, a judge refused to set bond for Michael Comer, 25, the father accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive. News cameras were in the room, but Comer could not be seen. He sat behind a door that the judge could see past and everyone else could not.
Judge Gary W. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set the next hearing for Dec. 10. Comer is charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary. Tyler Douglas, lead investigator for the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, told the court that Comer showed no remorse for trying to kill his son, Koah Sharp, and that he tried to leave the state.
Koah was found Tuesday inside a wire dog crate buried about a foot underground in woods off Parthenon Road, outside Batesburg-Leesville. The crate was wrapped in a towel, which Sheriff Jay Koon says trapped enough air for the boy to survive nearly 24 hours. He was crying loudly when searchers reached him. He was treated at a hospital and released the same day, is back home with family, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Newly released 911 audio shows how the alarm was first raised. Koah's grandmother called to report that Comer and the baby could not be found. She told the dispatcher that Comer did not have custody, that the mother did, and that she had been supposed to take the baby home that night. Comer had been out of jail only about a month and was on probation. She said he kept talking about going to New York, which he could not do on probation, and that no one had reached him all day.
She said she left work after relatives couldn't get hold of Comer, and that she had worried the night before about leaving Koah with him. Home security cameras showed Comer in the house around 8:30 a.m., but nothing showed how or when he left, and she said he had no vehicle. Asked whether anyone was in danger, she said she hoped not but didn't know where they were. She told the dispatcher he had threatened to kill himself the night before and asked her for sleeping pills. She also said he has severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, and that his cellphone was off. The dispatcher urged her to stay at the home so deputies could meet her there.
According to Koon, Comer had been caring for Koah for several days despite lacking custody. On Monday morning Comer's mother was watching the baby at a home in Gaston. She stepped out briefly on an errand, expecting another caregiver to arrive, and by the time that person got there, Comer and Koah were gone. Investigators say Comer left Gaston around 9 a.m. and was seen in the Batesburg-Leesville area around noon, which Koon says is likely when Koah was buried.
A missing-person report was filed around 3 p.m. Surveillance video showed Comer around Batesburg-Leesville without the baby, which deepened fears that Koah was in danger rather than with another caregiver. Around 10 p.m., deputies found Comer in a shed that wasn't his and arrested him. Koah was still missing.
Overnight and into Tuesday, more than 100 searchers, including a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helicopter crew, concentrated on the area near the home of Comer's father. Early Tuesday afternoon, a searcher noticed disturbed ground about 50 yards into the woods off Parthenon Road. "You could hear little Koah crying," Koon said, describing a rush to dig him out. Authorities credit the towel's air pocket, temperatures around 45 degrees that likely slowed the baby's metabolism, and the size of the search. "The Good Lord looked down on him," Koon said.
Court records show Comer was released about a month earlier and placed on probation after pleading guilty to aggravated breach of peace, and that he had prior arrests this year on domestic violence and weapons charges. Investigators have not said what they believe his motive was, beyond the threats in text messages and those described by family in the 911 call. Comer stays in jail until the Dec. 10 hearing.
Citas Notables
You could hear little Koah crying.— Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon
The Good Lord looked down on him.— Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon
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