South Carolina Father Charged After Baby Survives 24 Hours Buried Alive
WHO:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - Koah’s grandfather, John Comer, said he opened his home to Michael Comer and Koah after Michael asked for a place to stay.
CNN - Patricia Comer, Koah’s paternal grandmother, told WACH, “I had a bad feeling that something was not right,” and said she called 911.
Boston.com News - Koah Sharp, an 11-month-old boy, survived after being buried alive in a dog crate.
US Magazine - The missing infant was identified as Koah Sharpe; the article says authorities alleged his father took him.
PBS - Koah Sharp’s father, Michael Comer, 25, was arrested and held without bond on a burglary charge.
PBS - Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon discussed the rescue and investigation; great-aunt Amber Hammond witnessed Koah being freed.
PBS - Nearly 100 first responders participated in the search.
WHAT:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - John Comer said Koah stopped crying soon after the rescue, was placed on the back of a truck, and sat up.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - John Comer said he felt Michael had taken advantage of him, but was grateful he had opened his home because rescuers might not otherwise have found Koah in time.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - John Comer said he had never heard Koah cry before the rescue and described him as “always happy” and smiling.
CNN - Koah was released from the hospital Tuesday night and was expected to make a full recovery; he was staying with family members.
CNN - Michael Comer faced charges of unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference, and resisting arrest, in addition to attempted murder and burglary.
CNN - Authorities said they could not issue an Amber Alert because Comer did not have a car.
CNN - Comer had a bond hearing scheduled for Thursday.
CNN - Sheriff Jay Koon said Koah was found about 50 yards into the woods in a 2-foot-by-2-foot dog crate; temperatures fell as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit overnight.
Boston.com News - Koah Sharp’s father was charged with attempted murder.
NY Post - Koah Sharp was released from the hospital and was home.
Boston.com News - Koah survived about 24 hours buried in a crate; the sheriff said cool temperatures and an air pocket helped keep him alive.
US Magazine - Koah was found “clinging to life, crying,” according to Sheriff Jay Koon.
PBS - Authorities found freshly disturbed soil in woods and dug up Koah, who was inside a dog crate wrapped in a towel.
PBS - Comer was arrested Monday night. Investigators were working with prosecutors to confirm additional charges.
PBS - Koah was taken to a hospital; his condition was not known at the time of the report.
PBS - Comer had pleaded guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach-of-peace charges and was sentenced to probation in October. Prosecutors dropped a gun charge; he received credit for more than two months in jail.
PBS - Koon said, “Certainly, God is good,” and described Koah as “screaming at the top of his lungs.”
PBS - Hammond said Comer had talked about taking Koah to New York because “he didn't want to be in the same state as the mom.”
PBS - Koon said Koah’s parents “have had some situations” involving domestic violence charges and that children “sometimes get caught in the middle.”
WHERE:
US Magazine - The incident occurred in South Carolina.
PBS - Koah disappeared in Lexington County, west of Columbia, and was found in woods near his grandfather’s home.
PBS - Deputies searched the grandfather’s home and found its doors open and baby belongings inside.
WHEN:
CNN - The search party found Koah at around 1:30 p.m.
US Magazine - The article says Koah was discovered the afternoon of Tuesday, November 10.
PBS - Koah disappeared Monday; surveillance video showed Comer without the infant Monday afternoon, and Comer was found that night.
PBS - Koon spoke at a news conference Tuesday, shortly after Koah was found.
WHY:
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS - John Comer said it seemed Michael had planned what he did and taken the opportunity to do it.
Boston.com News - The sheriff attributed Koah’s survival to cool temperatures and an air pocket formed by the towel around the crate.
PBS - The towel likely created an air pocket that let Koah breathe; cool temperatures may also have helped.
PBS - Koah had been in his grandmother’s care while she ran an errand; she left him with Comer until another caregiver arrived.
HOW:
CNN - Authorities found Comer in an outbuilding in Batesburg-Leesville; he was arrested on burglary and resisting-arrest charges.
PBS - The caregiver arrived to find Comer and Koah gone. Surveillance video from several area businesses showed Comer without the infant.
PBS - Searchers found disturbed soil, began digging, and uncovered the crate. Koon said it was shallow, with about a foot between the top of the crate and the ground.
PBS - Hammond said she and others initially assumed Comer had given Koah to someone; she said they had not expected the child to be buried.
(UPDATED November 12, 2026 10:00 UTC)
Eleven-month-old Koah Sharp survived after being buried in a dog crate in South Carolina woods. His grandfather had opened his home to Koah and father Michael Comer, authorities said. Koah was hospitalized, released, and expected to recover; Comer faces attempted-murder and other charges.
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(UPDATED November 12, 2026 08:58 UTC)
Eleven-month-old Koah Sharp survived being buried in a dog crate in South Carolina woods. Rescuers found him alive after nearly 24 hours; a towel likely trapped air. Koah left the hospital, while his father faces attempted murder and other charges.
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(UPDATED November 12, 2026 07:00 UTC)
An 11-month-old South Carolina boy survived after being buried alive in a dog crate. Koah Sharp was rescued from woods after nearly 24 hours underground, then released home. His father, Michael Comer, was charged with attempted murder and remains in custody.
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(UPDATED November 12, 2026 04:01 UTC)
An 11-month-old boy survived about 24 hours buried alive in a dog crate in South Carolina. Searchers found Koah Sharp beneath disturbed soil, wrapped in a towel that likely trapped air. His father, Michael Comer, was arrested on a burglary charge as investigators examined possible additional charges.