In a Lexington County courtroom this week, a magistrate refused bond for a 25-year-old father accused of burying his infant son alive in a dog crate beneath scrub pines, an act that tested the thin line between a family's shelter and its breaking. The boy, eleven months old, survived a full day underground, owed to a towel that held an air pocket and to the cool air that slowed his body's decline. The reasons behind the act have not been spoken aloud by those charged with finding them, leaving a silence that the community must sit inside while a hearing set for December 10 approaches.
South Carolina Father Denied Bond After Allegedly Burying His 11-Month-Old Son Alive
An 11-month-old boy was buried alive in a dog crate for about a day and rescued; he was hospitalized and released, and is expected to make a full recovery.
A towel wrapped around the crate left an air pocket that likely kept him alive
Mark
Why did the bond denial matter so much here?
Mimi
Because the investigator told the magistrate Comer had shown no remorse and tried to flee the state. That's what weighed against release.
Luke
Worth noting that's the investigator's account in court. It's testimony, not a finding. Comer hasn't had a lawyer appointed yet, so we haven't heard his side.
Mark
How did the boy survive about 24 hours underground?
Mimi
The sheriff pointed to cool temperatures and an air pocket made by a towel wrapped around the crate below ground.
Luke
Again, that's the sheriff's assessment of why he likely survived. It's plausible, but it isn't a medical conclusion we've seen.
Mark
What do we know about why this happened?
Mimi
Nothing official. Authorities haven't given a motive. There's the October probation sentence for domestic violence involving Koah's mother, and the 911 call where she described her son's mental health and said he'd threatened suicide.
Luke
Careful there. The mother's description of a diagnosis is her statement on a call, not a verified medical record. And a history of domestic violence isn't a stated motive.
Mark
What should we watch for?
Mimi
The Dec. 10 hearing, and who is appointed to represent him.
Luke
And whether investigators ever say publicly what they think drove it. Right now that's unknown.
Le Pouls
- A father is in custody and a judge has refused bond after an 11-month-old was found buried alive in a dog crate.
- Rescuers spent a full day searching the countryside before fresh soil and faint cries led them to the boy.
- The boy has been discharged from hospital and is expected to recover fully, though the case remains a shock to his family and town.
- No motive has been disclosed, the court has not yet appointed an attorney, and the case now waits for a December 10 hearing.
In a Lexington County courtroom this week, a magistrate refused bond for a 25-year-old father accused of burying his infant son alive in a dog crate beneath scrub pines, an act that tested the thin line between a family's shelter and its breaking. The boy, eleven months old, survived a full day underground, owed to a towel that held an air pocket and to the cool air that slowed his body's decline. The reasons behind the act have not been spoken aloud by those charged with finding them, leaving a silence that the community must sit inside while a hearing set for December 10 approaches.
On Thursday, a magistrate in Lexington, South Carolina, denied bond to a 25-year-old man accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate beneath a clump of pines. Michael Comer has been held since Monday, the day his son Koah was reported missing. The lead investigator told the court that Comer showed no remorse and had tried to flee the state. Comer faces charges of attempted murder, burglary and placing a child at risk, and a public defender has been approved while the hearing is set for December 10.
Dozens of first responders searched for the boy, who has reddish-blond hair. After a full day, authorities noticed freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below. Koah was dug out, clinging to life, and the sheriff believes a towel wrapped around the crate and the cool temperatures helped keep an air pocket open. He was later released from the hospital.
The boy's grandfather, John Comer, had taken in his son and grandson days earlier. He showed a reporter the small hole where his grandson was found and said he could not imagine how anyone could reach such a decision. Authorities have not said what drove it, though Comer was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother. A 911 call released Thursday describes the mother's fears about her son's mental health, his talk of self-harm, and his mention of taking the child to New York, which probation prevented. The motive remains unanswered as the case moves toward its next hearing.
On Thursday, in a courtroom in Lexington, South Carolina, a magistrate denied bond to 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 man, Michael Comer, has been held in Lexington County custody since Monday, the day his son Koah was reported missing. 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 the boy 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 is charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. Koah survived and is expected to make a full recovery. Rescuers found him after roughly 24 hours, and he was released from the hospital Tuesday night, Sheriff Jay Koon said.
Dozens of first responders searched the countryside for the boy, who has reddish-blond hair. After a full day, authorities spotted freshly disturbed soil and heard cries coming from below, the sheriff said. The child was dug out and was, in Koon's words, "clinging to life." Koon said he likely survived because of the cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate underground.
The child's grandfather, John Comer, had taken in 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 Koah. "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 anything about a motive. They have pointed to a history: in October, Comer was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy's mother. Koah's parents "have had some situations," the sheriff said, 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." She said she had been "kindly worried" about leaving Koah with his father that morning. Michael Comer, she said, 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.
With bond denied, Comer remains in custody ahead of the Dec. 10 hearing, when his legal representation and the case against him are expected to move forward. The motive remains the central question investigators have not answered publicly.
Citations marquantes
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 boy's grandfather, to the AP
Children sometimes get caught in the middle.— Sheriff Jay Koon
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