Missing South Carolina baby found alive in buried dog crate

An 11-month-old boy missing since Monday was found alive Tuesday in a dog crate buried in South Carolina woods, after searchers heard him cry beneath freshly disturbed earth. Sheriff Jay Koon said Koah Sharpe may have spent about 24 hours underground.

“Just a few moments ago, we found little Koah, 11 months old, buried alive, clinging to life, crying — the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby,” Koon told reporters.

Searchers discovered the crate around 1:30 p.m., about 50 yards into the woods near the home of Koah’s paternal grandfather, Koon said. It was buried in a shallow hole and wrapped in a towel. The towel may have created an air pocket that helped Koah survive, while cool weather may also have improved his chances, the sheriff said.

“As they probed it and laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying,” Koon said. “So, as you can imagine, the race was on.”

Koah was taken to a hospital. Koon said Tuesday afternoon that he hoped the boy would make a full recovery. “He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the baby world, I would guess,” the sheriff said.

Koah disappeared Monday after being left with his father, Michael Comer. Accounts differ on who left the child in Comer’s care. The Guardian reported that Koon said Koah was at his mother’s home while she ran an errand. NBC News reported that Koon said Comer’s mother had been caring for the baby and left while another caregiver was on the way.

Patricia Comer told NBC News that she had gone to work after leaving Koah with his father. She said a friend called her around 11 a.m. after getting no answer when trying to drop off formula. “Something just did not feel right,” she said. She returned home and found her son and grandson gone.

Nearly 100 police officers, firefighters and other officials joined the search, Koon said. According to NBC News, deputies went to the home of Comer’s father Monday and found open doors and baby belongings, but neither Comer nor Koah. State and federal law enforcement agencies also assisted.

Authorities arrested Michael Comer, 25, late Monday in Lexington County on a burglary charge after finding him in an outbuilding, according to NBC News. Koah was not with him. The sheriff’s department was working with prosecutors on possible additional charges; NBC News said it was not immediately clear whether Comer had an attorney who could speak for him.

Patricia Comer told NBC News that Koah’s mother has full custody, but allowed her to supervise the boy on weekends. She said Comer had watched Koah alone before without problems. Calling the accusations against her son “pure evil,” she said she had seen no warning signs and thanked the searchers who found her grandson.