Infant rescued alive after being buried in a dog crate in South Carolina woods
An 11-month-old boy was found alive buried in a dog crate in Lexington County after about a day underground, and was taken to a hospital.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said an 11-month-old infant, Koah Sharpe, was discovered buried about a foot underground in a dog crate with a towel wrapped around it on Tuesday. The child was rescued and transported to a hospital for treatment.
"The boy was clinging to life, crying," Koon told reporters, adding that the sound of the baby’s cries was striking. Koon explained that the infant had been in the care of his paternal grandmother on Monday when the father, Michael Comer, 25, arrived. After the grandmother left for an errand, Comer took the baby, and both disappeared when a second caregiver arrived. Law enforcement responded around lunchtime Monday, searching a residence where Comer’s father lives and later locating Comer in an outbuilding in Batesburg. He was arrested on burglary and resisting arrest charges, but the baby was not with him. The search for the infant continued into Tuesday, involving nearly 100 officers and public safety personnel. Investigators noticed freshly disturbed soil about 50 yards into nearby woods, near Comer’s father’s home. As they dug, they heard the baby crying and recovered the crate, with the child screaming. Koon estimated the child had been underground for roughly 24 hours, noting that the towel around the crate may have created an air pocket. Prosecutors are reviewing additional charges against Comer, and authorities are seeking further information on the infant’s condition.