A Southern California man accused of kidnapping his infant son and burying him alive has been denied bond.
Michael Comer, 25, allegedly buried his 11-month-old son, Koah Sharp, inside a dog crate near his grandfather’s home in Batesburg-Leesville on November 9.
The following day, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release asking the public to provide information about the missing child.
“Koah was taken by his father, Michael Comer,” the sheriff’s office said. It added that Comer had been arrested by Lexington County deputies on a burglary charge late Monday night, but that Koah was not with him.
Comer faces charges of attempted murder and unlawfully placing a child at risk, according to AP News.
He remains in custody without bond and will stay jailed pending his next court appearance.
According to WLTX, two victims’ advocates urged the judge to deny bond on Koah’s behalf. They said Comer showed “no remorse” after learning that his son had been found alive.
Comer was found Monday evening inside an outbuilding in Batesburg and arrested on burglary and resisting-arrest charges. Authorities said he had little to say about the baby’s whereabouts.
Koah had been staying with his grandmother, Patricia Comer, Michael Comer’s mother. Sheriff Jay Koon said such caregiving arrangements “happen quite often.”
Koon briefly addressed Comer’s relationship with Koah’s mother, Dezarae Sharp, saying the couple had recently been involved in domestic-violence-related cases and court proceedings.
Sheriff Jay Koon said Koah’s cries sounded joyful when deputies found him “clinging for life,” according to remarks made during a news briefing Tuesday.
The sheriff said the 11-month-old had been placed inside a dog crate wrapped in a towel before being buried.
Koon said Koah was initially in the care of Comer’s mother, Patricia, who left the baby with Michael while she ran an errand. A caregiver was expected to arrive later.
When that caregiver arrived, however, both Michael and Koah had disappeared from the home.
“I have not slept in over 24 hours… you don’t know what it’s like to lose a grandchild like that and have your son do something like this,” Patricia wrote in a Facebook post.
“I’m not trying to play the woe-is-me card, but this whole situation has been heartbreaking,” she added.
Koon said investigators learned the baby was missing and followed leads pointing to Comer and Koah at the home of Comer’s father, located about a block away.
There, he said, deputies found both doors open and the baby’s belongings inside, but no sign of Michael or Koah.
About 100 emergency responders joined the search. Investigators believe Koah endured roughly 24 hours buried beneath the dirt before rescuers located him.
Patricia Comer said she knew her “son’s a problem,” but never realized “he was this bad.” She added: “He loved that baby, he’d do anything for that baby.”
“As the day went on and nobody came forward, it was certainly more and more concerning,” Koon said.
Search teams gathered near Comer’s father’s home and moved roughly 50 yards into the woods. There, they heard Koah crying beneath a pile of pine straw.
Authorities later tracked Comer to an outbuilding near Columbia Avenue in Batesburg, where he was taken into custody.
He was initially booked on burglary and resisting-arrest charges.
Koon also briefly discussed Comer’s relationship with Koah’s mother, Dezarae Sharp, noting that the pair had recently faced domestic-violence-related charges and court proceedings.
“There were obviously some issues; certainly, children sometimes get caught up in that,” the sheriff said.
Sharp told the Daily Mail that Comer had been permitted to visit Koah on weekends because he had been attending therapy and had stopped drinking.
“His dad decided, though, it was time to get jealous over other guys, so he pulled this on this weekend’s trip,” she said. Sharp added that Comer “is a harm to himself as far as I’ve heard, so possibly to others.”
Comer is scheduled to appear next at the Lexington County Courthouse on December 10.
The Daily Mail contacted the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office and the Lexington County Public Defender’s Office for comment.