In a quiet county of South Carolina, a father stands accused of an act so unthinkable that it seems to belong to the oldest fears of humankind: that a parent might turn against a child. An eleven-month-old boy, Koah Sharp, was placed in a dog crate and buried beneath scrubby pines, and only the stubborn search of rescuers and a pocket of air, bought by a towel, kept him breathing through a day underground. The magistrate's refusal of bond now places Michael Comer in a legal process that will ask what drove him, a question his family answers with conflicting memories of a man who seemed calm an
South Carolina Father Denied Bond After Allegedly Burying Infant Son Alive; Boy Rescued After About 24 Hours
An 11-month-old boy was buried alive in a dog crate and rescued after about 24 hours; he was released from hospital and is expected to recover fully.
"Koah's alive. He's alive. That's what matters."
Mark
Why did the bond decision come down so hard?
Mimi
The investigator told the magistrate Comer showed no remorse and tried to flee the state. Those two points carried the argument, and the magistrate denied bond.
Mark
And the boy is okay?
Mimi
He left the hospital Tuesday night and is expected to recover fully. The sheriff credits cool temperatures and an air pocket from a towel wrapped around the crate.
Luke
Worth noting that's the sheriff's explanation of why he survived, not a medical finding we've seen.
Mark
The family accounts seem to conflict. What's that about?
Mimi
Patricia Comer told 911 her son has severe mental illness and had threatened suicide. John Comer, who was largely estranged from him, says he seemed rational and caring that day.
Luke
Both are family recollections. Neither is a diagnosis or a court finding, and they can't be reconciled from what's been reported.
Mark
Is there a motive?
Mimi
Authorities haven't said. There's a prior domestic violence case involving the boy's mother, with probation in October.
Luke
That history is documented, but nobody has linked it to this. Motive is simply unknown.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
A public defender has been approved, and a hearing is set for December 10.
Il Polso
- A father accused of burying his infant son alive has been denied bond, leaving a county shaken by how close the child came to death.
- Rescuers combed the countryside for a full day before hearing cries from freshly disturbed soil beneath the pines.
- Family accounts clash: the father describes a calm man feeding and holding his son, while the mother's 911 call warns of severe mental illness and suicidal threats.
- A public defender now stands beside the accused, with a December 10 hearing set, and the motive remains undisclosed as the boy recovers at home.
In a quiet county of South Carolina, a father stands accused of an act so unthinkable that it seems to belong to the oldest fears of humankind: that a parent might turn against a child. An eleven-month-old boy, Koah Sharp, was placed in a dog crate and buried beneath scrubby pines, and only the stubborn search of rescuers and a pocket of air, bought by a towel, kept him breathing through a day underground. The magistrate's refusal of bond now places Michael Comer in a legal process that will ask what drove him, a question his family answers with conflicting memories of a man who seemed calm and a man who was, by his mother's account, gripped by illness. The boy is recovering, and the larger story remains open, waiting for a December hearing where the reasons for such an act may finally be spoken.
A magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond on Friday to 25-year-old Michael Comer, who stands accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate beneath a stand of scrubby pines. The boy, Koah Sharp, was found after about 24 hours underground and is expected to make a full recovery.
Comer faces attempted murder, burglary and child endangerment charges. The sheriff's lead investigator told the magistrate that Comer showed no remorse and had tried to flee the state. A public defender was appointed, and a hearing is set for December 10. Comer had been in custody since Monday, when the boy was reported missing.
Rescuers searched through a full day before finding freshly disturbed soil and hearing cries from below. The sheriff believes the child survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate.
Comer's father, John, had taken his son and grandson in on Monday, and he recalls a calm man who fed the baby, changed him and held him while he played. The boy's grandmother, Patricia Comer, offers a different picture in a 911 call: her son has severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, had threatened suicide, and had talked of taking the child to New York, which his probation forbids. Comer was sentenced in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence against Koah's mother, Dezarae Sharp, whom the AP could not reach.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive. After the hearing, John Comer, choking back a sob, said that only a miracle could explain his grandson's survival, and that the one thing that mattered was that the boy is alive.
A magistrate in Lexington County, South Carolina, denied bond on Friday 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 boy, Koah Sharp, was found after about 24 hours underground. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Michael Comer is charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk. 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 then approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for December 10. Comer has been in custody since Monday, when the boy was reported missing, and no attorney had yet been appointed for him.
Koah was released from the hospital Tuesday night, Sheriff Jay Koon said. Dozens of first responders had combed the countryside for him. After a full day of searching, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below. The sheriff said the child likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate underground.
Comer's father, John Comer, had opened his home to his son and grandson on Monday after Michael said they needed a place to stay. He later showed an Associated Press reporter the small hole on a neighbor's property where rescuers uncovered the child. The two men have been largely estranged, and John Comer said his son seemed perfectly rational when he picked up Koah and him. According to the father, Michael said he had a job and a plan to care for the boy. "He was not emotional," John Comer said outside the law enforcement complex Thursday, recalling that his son fed the baby, changed his diaper and held him while the child played. He said the crate was just a piece of junk he had lying around the house, and that he feels no sympathy or pity for his son. He shudders, he said, to think what might have happened had he not picked them up.
A 911 call released Friday offers a different picture of Comer's state of mind. Patricia Comer told the dispatcher her son had severe schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. She said she was worried about leaving Koah with his father that morning, because he 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 cannot do because he is on probation.
Authorities have not said anything about a motive. The probation stems from October, when Comer was sentenced after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving Koah's mother. Court records show that in May he pushed her from behind while she held the baby, and Koah struck a clothes dryer. The sheriff said the parents "have had some situations," adding that children sometimes get caught in the middle. Family members have identified the mother as Dezarae Sharp. The AP could not find a phone number for her, and she has not answered messages sent to her social media accounts.
After Thursday's bond hearing, John Comer said that only God could deliver a miracle like this, and that God must have lain in the ground with Koah the entire time. Then, choking back a sob, he said the thing that mattered most: the boy is alive. The next step is the December 10 hearing, with Comer's motive still undisclosed.
Citazioni salienti
Only God can deliver miracles in this fashion.— John Comer, the boy's grandfather
Children sometimes get caught in the middle.— Sheriff Jay Koon
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