A missing 11-month-old boy was found alive Tuesday buried inside a dog crate in a wooded area of South Carolina, ending an urgent, multiagency manhunt, authorities said.
The infant, Koah Sharpe, is believed to have spent roughly 24 hours underground before searchers discovered him around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon told reporters. The wire crate, measuring about 2 feet by 2 feet, was wrapped in a towel and concealed in a shallow hole in the woods, roughly 50 yards from a relative’s home.
Koon said the towel likely formed a vital barrier against the earth. “That, by the grace of God, probably provided enough air for him to survive — our estimation is for the last 24 hours under that dirt,” Koon said, noting that cooler temperatures may have also aided the child’s survival.
A frantic rescue in the woods
About 100 first responders from local, state and federal agencies — including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — joined the search across Lexington County. The breakthrough came Tuesday afternoon when searchers spotted freshly disturbed soil and pine straw just past the tree line.
“As they probed it and laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying,” Koon said. “So, as you can imagine, the race was on.”
Rescuers freed the baby, who was “screaming at the top of his lungs,” which the sheriff called “the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby.” Koah was transported to a local hospital, where he remained under medical evaluation Tuesday afternoon. Officials expressed hope that he would make a full recovery.
Disappearance and arrest
Deputies began searching Monday after Koah vanished from his mother’s residence. The child had been left in the care of his father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, while a family member departed and another caregiver was en route, according to the sheriff’s office. When the incoming caregiver arrived, both Comer and the infant were missing.
Later Monday afternoon, authorities checked Comer’s father’s home and discovered open doors and infant supplies inside, but no people. Officials noted an Amber Alert could not be issued because investigators lacked details on a vehicle or license plate, as Comer was believed to be traveling on foot or soliciting rides across the county.
Late Monday night, deputies tracked Comer to a shed or outbuilding in the Batesburg-Leesville area and took him into custody on burglary and resisting arrest charges, ABC News and the New York Post reported. The child was not with him at the time of the arrest, and Comer offered little information regarding the baby’s location, Koon said.
Family reactions and next steps
Comer’s mother, Patricia Comer, told NBC News she was stunned by the allegations against her son. “Honestly, I’m his mother, and I never expected this from him,” she said, calling his actions “pure evil” and praising the law enforcement officers who found her grandson.
Court records show Comer was placed on probation in October following a guilty plea to aggravated breach of peace, according to local reporting cited by the New York Post. Sheriff Koon stated that investigators were consulting with prosecutors to file additional criminal charges related to the baby’s abduction and abandonment. It was not immediately clear if Comer had retained legal representation.
