An 11-month-old baby boy, Koah Sharpe, was found alive and clinging to life on Tuesday afternoon after being buried in a dog crate for approximately 24 hours in Lexington County, South Carolina. Authorities confirmed the infant was rescued near the home of his grandfather, who is also the father of the baby’s father, Michael Comer, 25, who was arrested on Monday night on a burglary charge.
Rescue and discovery
Search teams located the infant inside a dog crate wrapped in a towel, buried about 50 yards into a wooded area near the grandfather’s home. Officers reported hearing the baby’s cries as they uncovered the crate, describing the sound as “the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby.” The baby was immediately transported to a hospital for medical evaluation. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon stated that the crate likely provided sufficient air for the child to survive the burial.
Timeline of events
Koah Sharpe was last seen in the care of his father on Monday at the home of his grandmother, Patricia Comer, where Michael Comer had been watching the baby while she ran an errand. A scheduled caregiver arrived shortly after, but both the father and child were gone. A missing-person report was filed Monday afternoon, though an Amber Alert was not issued because authorities stated Comer did not have access to a vehicle at the time.
Comer was arrested late Monday in the Batesburg-Leesville area on the burglary charge after deputies found him in an outbuilding. The baby was not with him at the time of the arrest. Investigators later located the dog crate burial site during an extensive search involving nearly 100 law enforcement and public safety personnel, including support from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Family and legal response
Patricia Comer, the baby’s grandmother, told reporters that she was “shocked” by the events and that her son’s arrest was “where he needs to be.” She added that she had never “expected this from him.” Authorities have not specified the custody arrangement between Koah Sharpe’s parents but noted there was no formal agreement preventing unsupervised visitation by the father.
Lexington County officials are continuing their investigation and working with the solicitor’s office to determine additional charges against Comer. The sheriff’s office has not provided further details on the circumstances leading to the burial or the father’s motives. The baby’s current medical status has not been disclosed beyond reports that he was “clinging to life” upon rescue.