In a wooded stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a father's alleged abandonment of his eleven-month-old son turned into a desperate buried-alive rescue, the kind of moment that exposes how thin the line can be between a household's ordinary failures and a child's survival. Searchers who noticed freshly turned earth heard a crying infant beneath it, and the boy, Koah Sharpe, is now in hospital and expected to recover. The man accused, Michael Comer, who has prior domestic violence convictions, sits in custody while investigators weigh what further charges he will face, and the case remi
Missing 11-month-old found alive in buried crate in South Carolina, sheriff says father is suspect
An 11-month-old infant was allegedly buried alive in a crate for about 24 hours, survived, and is hospitalized; his father is in custody.
Freshly disturbed dirt, and then the sound of a baby crying
Mark
The detail that stays with me is the sound. The searchers heard crying before they saw anything.
Mimi
Yes. They'd seen dirt that looked freshly turned and started digging, and then they heard him. The sheriff called it the most joyful sound you ever heard.
Mark
How did a baby survive about 24 hours underground?
Mimi
Koon's explanation is that the crate was wrapped in a towel, which probably let enough air through, and the cold kept him from overheating. He described it as a roughly two-foot dog crate buried about a foot down.
Luke
Worth noting that's the sheriff's assessment. He said probably and I'm guessing. It isn't a medical or forensic finding.
Mark
And the 24 hours?
Luke
Same thing. Officials say it is thought he'd been there that long. That's an estimate, not an established timeline.
Mark
What do we actually know about the father's role?
Mimi
Michael Comer, 25, took the baby Monday after his mother left them alone briefly. He was arrested that evening on a burglary charge, without the child, and didn't say much when asked where Koah was.
Luke
Be careful, though. The burglary charge is the only one confirmed. Police are still deciding on further charges, so the burying is what officials say happened, not something yet charged or tested in court.
Mark
Is there background on the family?
Mimi
The sheriff said there were obviously some issues, and court records show Comer previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges. His mother said she never expected this from him.
Luke
And we don't know the circumstances of those earlier cases, or why he was arrested for burglary. The reporting leaves those open.
El Pulso
- A child missing since Monday was found alive, buried in a dog crate beneath the woods near his father's home.
- A search of roughly 100 police and fire personnel raced against the clock, with officials estimating the infant had been underground for about 24 hours.
- The father was arrested Monday on a burglary charge without the boy, and his silence about the child's whereabouts deepened the alarm.
- Koah is hospitalized and hopeful for full recovery, while police decide what charges beyond burglary Comer will face given his history of domestic violence pleas.
In a wooded stretch of Lexington County, South Carolina, a father's alleged abandonment of his eleven-month-old son turned into a desperate buried-alive rescue, the kind of moment that exposes how thin the line can be between a household's ordinary failures and a child's survival. Searchers who noticed freshly turned earth heard a crying infant beneath it, and the boy, Koah Sharpe, is now in hospital and expected to recover. The man accused, Michael Comer, who has prior domestic violence convictions, sits in custody while investigators weigh what further charges he will face, and the case reminds us how often the danger to a small child arrives inside the walls meant to protect him.
Searchers combing the woods near a house in Lexington County noticed a patch of freshly disturbed dirt. As they dug, they heard a baby crying. Beneath the ground was 11-month-old Koah Sharpe, alive in a buried crate. Sheriff Jay Koon later called it the most joyful sound he had ever heard.
The boy had been missing since Monday. Police say his father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, took him from the home of the child's mother, who has full custody. Comer's mother had been supervising while her son cared for the baby, and he left abruptly with Koah. Comer was seen travelling to several locations without the child and was arrested Monday evening on a burglary charge. When asked where his son was, Koon said, he had little to say.
On Tuesday, a search party of 100 personnel found the disturbed ground near Comer's house. The crate, about two feet square, sat roughly a foot down and was wrapped in a towel that likely let in enough air for Koah to survive, while the cold kept him from overheating. Officials believe he had been there about a day. "The race was on," Koon said.
Koah is now in hospital, and the sheriff is hopeful for a full recovery. Court records show Comer previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges. Comer's mother told NBC News she never expected this from her son. Police are still deciding what further charges he will face, and updates on the boy's condition will follow as he recovers.
Searchers combing the woods near a house in Lexington County, South Carolina, noticed a patch of freshly disturbed dirt. As they started digging, they heard a baby crying. Sheriff Jay Koon later called it the most joyful sound you ever heard. Beneath the ground was 11-month-old Koah Sharpe, alive, in a buried crate.
The boy had been missing since Monday. According to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department, his father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, took him from the home of the child's mother. Koon said Comer's mother had been watching the baby and had left her son alone with him briefly when he abruptly left with Koah.
Comer was seen travelling to several locations without the child. He was arrested in Lexington County on Monday evening on a burglary charge, and Koah was not with him. When officers asked where his son was, Koon said, Comer did not have much to say about it.
A search party of 100 police and fire department personnel was sent out. On Tuesday, they searched the woods near Comer's house and found the disturbed ground. Koon said the child was buried alive and clinging to life. Officials think he had been there about 24 hours. "The race was on," Koon said. "Everybody was getting down there trying to get him out."
Koon described the crate as roughly a two-foot by two-foot dog crate, and guessed it sat about a foot beneath the surface. He said the crate was wrapped in a towel, which probably let in enough air for Koah to survive as long as he did, while the cold weather kept him from overheating.
Koah is now in hospital. Koon said he is hopeful the child will make a full recovery.
Of the parents' relationship, the sheriff said there were obviously some issues. Court records show Comer previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges. Police are still deciding what further charges he will face beyond the burglary count.
Comer's mother, Patricia Comer, spoke to NBC News. She said Koah's mother has full custody, but allowed her to supervise while her son looked after the baby. She said he had watched the child before, unsupervised, without problems. "Honestly, I'm his mother, and I never expected this from him," she said.
What comes next is the charging decision on Comer, along with updates on Koah's condition as he recovers in hospital.
Citas Notables
The race was on. Everybody was getting down there trying to get him out.— Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon
Honestly, I'm his mother, and I never expected this from him.— Patricia Comer, to NBC News
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