South Carolina father faces attempted murder charge after baby found buried

An 11-month-old boy was found alive beneath a patch of disturbed earth in South Carolina after spending about 24 hours buried in a dog crate, authorities said. His father, Michael Comer, 25, faces an attempted murder charge.

Rescuers heard Koah Sharp crying as they searched near a home owned by his grandfather on Tuesday afternoon, Lexington County Sheriff Bryan “Jay” Koon said. They dug him out of a wire crate wrapped in a towel. Koah was covered in dirt, his grandfather, John Comer, told the Associated Press.

“As you can imagine, the race was on. Everyone was trying to get him out,” Koon said, according to The Guardian. The sheriff described Koah as “clinging to life” when he was freed. Koah was released from the hospital Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery.

Koon said the towel likely created an air pocket that allowed the baby to breathe. Cool temperatures may also have helped him survive.

Authorities said Koah disappeared Monday, setting off a search involving local law enforcement, firefighters, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Koon said surveillance video from several area businesses showed Michael Comer without the baby on Monday afternoon, The Guardian reported. Authorities have not disclosed a motive.

Accounts of how Koah came to be with his father differ in the reports. According to NBC News, a police report says Koah’s mother told a deputy she had allowed Comer to take the child briefly, expecting him to have Koah for only a day or two. She also said Comer threatened over Facebook Messenger to keep the boy. Comer’s mother said Koah’s mother has custody, NBC News reported.

The Guardian reported a different account from authorities: Koah was in the care of Michael Comer’s mother when she left him with her son while running an errand, with another caregiver on the way. “By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone, and Koah was gone with him,” Koon said.

John Comer told the Associated Press that he had opened his home to his son and grandson Monday after his son said they needed somewhere to stay. The search ended in woods on a neighbor’s property. When Koah was lifted onto the back of a truck and sat up, John Comer said, he raised his hands and then fell to his knees crying.

Michael Comer was arrested Monday while hiding in a building in Batesburg-Leesville. The sheriff’s office said Wednesday that he was charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney; a court hearing was planned for Thursday.

According to The Guardian, Lexington County court records show Comer was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach-of-peace charges related to a July arrest. Prosecutors dropped a gun charge as part of the plea agreement.