Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
The father of a baby who police suspect was buried alive for 24 hours has been charged with attempted murder.
On Tuesday (10 November) in Lexington County, South Carolina, search efforts for 11-month-old Koah Sharp came across a disturbed patch of ground around 50 yards from his grandfather’s house.
Digging around a foot of ground away, they heard the sounds of a baby crying and when they pulled out a dog cage wrapped in a towel, they were horrified to find the infant inside still alive.
Koah was taken to hospital and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that he was later released into the care of his family, and is thankfully expected to make a full recovery.
Police have charged Michael Comer with the attempted murder of his son Koah Sharp, after the baby was found buried alive in a dog cage (Lexington County Sheriff’s Department)
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said that the towel wrapped around the cage appeared to have created an air pocket which gave the baby enough oxygen to breathe during the ordeal before rescuers found him.
He hopes the 11-month-old doesn’t end up remembering much of what happened.
Police have said that Michael was the last one seen with Koah before the baby was reported missing and now, he’s been charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary.
He remains in custody ahead of a bond hearing on Thursday (12 November).
Koah had been in the care of his grandmother Patricia, Michael’s mother, who had gone out to run an errand and left the baby in the care of his father while another caregiver made their way to the house.
When they arrived there was nobody home, with the alarm being raised and triggering a significant search for father and son.
A timeline of how Koah was found (Lexington County Sheriff’s Department/LADbible)
Comer didn’t have a vehicle that police could put out an alert on, but he was arrested on Monday night on suspicion of burglary and didn’t have his son with him.
Sheriff Koon said that Comer ‘didn’t have much to say about the whereabouts of the baby at that time’.
Search efforts the following day ended up in the woods near Comer’s father’s home, which is how the spot where Koah had been buried alive was located.
The sheriff said that the cooler temperatures may also have helped the baby survive for longer underground.
Investigations into a possible motive are still being carried out, and they believe that the baby spent around 24 hours buried beneath the ground.
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