The father of an 11-month-old boy who survived being buried alive in a dog crate for about 24 hours has been charged with attempted murder in South Carolina, authorities said on Wednesday.
Koah Sharp was found on Tuesday afternoon, "clinging to life" and "screaming at the top of his lungs," Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said, after searchers heard cries coming from freshly disturbed soil in woods near his grandfather's home, about 30 miles west of Columbia. He had been buried in a two-foot-by-two-foot dog crate wrapped in a towel, about a foot underground, off Parthenon Road in Batesburg-Leesville.
The boy was reported missing on Monday after he vanished while in the care of his father's mother. More than 100 law enforcement officers and other responders joined the search. Koon said the towel probably created an air pocket that allowed the boy to breathe, and cool overnight temperatures may also have helped him survive. Koah was taken to a hospital and released on Tuesday night; doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
His father, Michael Comer, 25, of Gaston, was arrested on Monday night while hiding in a building in Batesburg-Leesville, initially on a burglary charge. On Wednesday, arrest warrants charged him with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary. A bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday, November 12.
Court records show Comer was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach-of-peace charges stemming from an arrest in July. "We're better now that we know that Koah is safe," his great-aunt, Amber Hammond, told the Associated Press. At nearly a year old, Koah has been trying to stand on his own, Hammond said.
