A missing 11-month-old boy was found “clinging to life” after being buried alive inside a dog crate, bringing an agonizing 24-hour search to an end and leading to the arrest of his father.
Koah Sharp was discovered crying inside a wire crate buried near his grandfather’s South Carolina home on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said he was grateful the child had been found alive.
“Certainly, God is good. Just a few moments ago we found little Koah Sharp. Eleven months old, buried alive, clinging to life,” Koon said.
“He was crying—the most joyful sound you could ever hear from a crying baby.”
Koah disappeared at about 11 a.m. Monday and was ultimately found roughly 50 yards from his paternal grandfather’s home, where he is believed to have spent around 24 hours beneath the ground.
The boy’s 25-year-old father, Michael Comer, was later found hiding in an outbuilding and arrested. He had not yet been charged in connection with the disturbing incident.
Koah had been staying with his grandmother, Trish Comer, a situation Sheriff Koon said occurred “quite often.”
When Trish left to run an errand, Koah was placed in Michael’s care until another caregiver was due to arrive.
“By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” Koon said.
The search ended Tuesday when Koah Sharp, pictured with his father Michael Comer, was heard crying inside a buried wire crate near Batesburg-Leesville, Sheriff Jay Koon said
About 100 emergency responders took part in the search for the 11-month-old, who is believed to have spent approximately 24 hours buried beneath the dirt before being found
Search crews spotted “freshly disturbed” earth and pine straw Tuesday afternoon, then began digging and heard the infant, pictured with his mother Dezarae Sharp, crying
Police were called around noon Monday and began investigating the home of Koah’s grandfather, located “up the street.”
Both doors were open, and officers found baby items inside, but there was “no sign of Michael or the baby.” The father was not known to own a car, and investigators believed he traveled by hitchhiking from “place to place.”
On Tuesday afternoon, search teams noticed an area of “freshly disturbed” dirt and pine straw. Officers began digging and eventually heard the baby crying beneath the surface.
“As they probed it, laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying,” Koon said.
“So, as you can imagine, the race was on. Everybody was getting down there and trying to get him out.”
Rescuers pulled the child from a crate covered with a towel. Koon said the covering may have helped create an air pocket that allowed Koah to survive.
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“By the grace of God, it probably provided enough air for him to survive. Our estimation is that he was under that dirt for about 24 hours,” Sheriff Koon said.
While searching for Comer, investigators located video showing him in the Batesburg-Leesville area “with no baby.”
Koah had been staying with his grandmother, Trish Comer, the mother of his 25-year-old father, a situation Koon said “happens quite often”
Trish left Koah in his father’s care while she ran an errand and waited for another caregiver to arrive. “By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” Koon said
The boy’s father was “not known to have a car,” and investigators believed he hitchhiked from “place to place”
Late Monday evening, Comer was found inside an outbuilding at a Batesburg home and arrested on burglary and resisting-arrest charges.
“He didn’t have much to say about the whereabouts of the baby at that time,” Koon said.
Koah’s mother, Dezarae Sharp, said Comer had been permitted to visit his son on weekends because “he’s been going to therapy and 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, adding that Comer “is a harm to himself as far as I’ve heard, so possibly to others.”
Trish said on Facebook that she left work early after feeling that something was wrong. She called police after realizing her son had taken Koah.
“I called [the police] as soon as I realized he took the baby,” she wrote.
“I love that grandbaby with all my heart… 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. I’m not trying to play the woe-is-me card, but this whole situation has been heartbreaking.”
Comer was found Monday evening in a Batesburg outbuilding and arrested on burglary and resisting-arrest charges. Koon said he had “not much to say about the whereabouts of the baby”
Koah’s devastated mother, Dezarae, pictured, said Comer had been allowed weekend visits because “he’s been going to therapy and stopped drinking”
Trish Comer said she knew her “son’s a problem” but “did not know that he was this bad.” She added: “He loved that baby, he’d do anything for that baby”
Trish later said she knew her “son’s a problem” but had not realized “that he was this bad.”
“He loved that baby, he’d do anything for that baby. He took good care of that baby. If you could see him with that baby, he was wonderful,” she wrote.
“I did not know that he would do something like this, and I’m sorry that I did not see this beforehand.”
The Daily Mail contacted the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
