An 11-month-old boy who authorities say was buried alive by his father is expected to make a full recovery following a desperate, hourslong rescue effort.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon announced that Koah Sharp was released from the hospital Nov. 10 after apparently spending about 24 hours buried underground inside a dog crate.
“He is with family members,” authorities said in an update. “According to information provided to investigators by his medical team, he is expected to make a full recovery.”
Koah’s father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, faces charges of attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary. Authorities allege he buried the infant behind his own father’s home in South Carolina.
Surveillance Footage Showed Michael Comer Without His Son, Authorities Say
The investigation began Nov. 9 after Michael’s mother, who had been caring for Koah, briefly left the baby in his father’s care while she ran an errand. Another caregiver was already on the way to the home.
“By the time the caregiver got there,” Koon said during a press conference, “Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him.”
Deputies were called around midday as the search for the missing infant got underway.
Investigators learned that Michael’s father lived on Parthenon Road in Batesburg-Leesville and went to the residence. The home was empty, but both doors stood open and baby supplies were found inside, Koon said.
Later, authorities located surveillance footage showing Michael, who did not own a vehicle, in Batesburg-Leesville. Koah was not with him.
“Certainly, we got worried, hoping and praying that he dropped a baby with another person,” Koon said. “As the day went on and nobody came forward, it was certainly more and more concerning.”
Michael was located that evening inside an outbuilding at a home near Columbia Avenue in Batesburg-Leesville. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary and resisting arrest but “didn’t have much to say” about where Koah was, Koon said.
More than 100 law enforcement and public safety personnel joined the search for the child.
On Nov. 10, a search team investigating the area behind Michael’s father’s home noticed a patch of freshly disturbed soil. As members began digging, they heard a baby crying.
Koon said rescuers found Koah buried underground inside a 2-foot-by-2-foot wire dog crate wrapped in a towel. Investigators believe the crate may have helped keep him alive by creating an air pocket that allowed him to breathe.
“Certainly, God is good,” Koon said shortly after the discovery. “Just a few moments ago, we found little Koah Sharp, 11 months old, buried alive, clinging to life, crying—the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby.”
Koah’s Grandfather Says Michael Comer “Had This Planned Out”
Michael’s father, John Comer, told The Associated Press that he watched as his grandson was carried to a nearby truck for an examination.
“I became ecstatic, my hands straight in the air. I’m looking in the sky, jumping up and down, praising God,” he said. “And at the same time I hit my knees and I’m just crying.”
John said he believed his son had taken advantage of him when he asked for a place to stay. Still, he was grateful that the arrangement gave investigators a location from which to begin their search.
“It just seems like he already had this planned out, and he knew what he was doing,” John said. “And he took the opportunity to do what he did. And if it hadn’t have been here, I don’t think anybody would have known where he would have went, and this would be a completely different story.”
Michael is being held without bond, according to jail records reviewed by Oxygen. He was on probation when the incident occurred after receiving an October sentence for a domestic violence charge, according to The Associated Press.
It remains unclear whether he has hired an attorney.
“A lot of things were going in Koah’s favor, and the good lord looked down on him in the last 24 hours,” Koon said. He added that he hoped the 11-month-old would remember little of the ordeal as he grew older and would one day have “a great inspiring story to tell.”