Eleven-month-old baby found alive after 24 hours buried in dog crate

Summarised from 9 outlets · 11 reports · Updated 11 Nov, 23:21 · Archive

An 11-month-old boy was found alive in South Carolina after being buried in a dog crate for about 24 hours.

An 11-month-old boy was found alive in South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon after being buried for approximately 24 hours in a dog crate. Koah Sharpe had gone missing on Monday after his father, Michael Comer, 25, took him from his mother's home in Lexington County.

Koah had been left briefly in Comer's care while his grandmother, Trish Comer, ran an errand. Another caregiver was scheduled to arrive, but when that person reached the house, both Comer and the baby had vanished. Relatives filed a missing person report on Monday afternoon, but no Amber Alert was issued because Comer did not have access to a car.

A search involving about 100 law enforcement and public safety officers was launched across Lexington County. Sheriff Jay Koon said officers found Comer traveling to multiple locations without the baby. When arrested on a burglary charge on Monday evening, Comer was not with his son. At the time of his arrest, the sheriff said Comer "did not have much to say" about the infant's whereabouts.

On Tuesday, search parties discovered freshly disturbed dirt in the woods about 50 yards from the home of Comer's father. As officers began digging, they heard the baby crying. "The race was on. Everybody's getting down there, trying to get him out," Koon said. They found Koah inside a dog crate that was wrapped in a towel and buried in a shallow hole.

Sheriff Koon described the discovery emotionally at a news conference. "Certainly God is good. Just a few moments ago we found little Koah, 11 months old, buried alive, clinging to life, crying – the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby," he said. Koon explained that the towel wrapped around the crate had "by the grace of God, probably provided enough air for him to survive by our estimation the last 24 hours under that dirt".

Koah was immediately taken to hospital for medical treatment. Koon expressed hope that the child would make a full recovery. Comer remains in custody; he was arrested on a burglary charge and on a charge of resisting arrest, but prosecutors are determining what additional charges will be brought in connection with the infant's burial.

How it is being reported

• Father of infant buried alive charged with attempted murderThe father of an 11-month-old boy rescued after being buried alive in a dog crate has been charged with attempted murder in South Carolina, police said.Sky News · 11 Nov, 21:58
• Missing 11-month-old baby found buried alive in a crate in South CarolinaOfficials say the child was found close to his father's home on Tuesday, a day after he was taken, and is being cared for in hospital.BBC World · 11 Nov, 18:10
• Mom of baby buried alive for 24 hours shares highly disturbing text 'ex sent her around time infant vanished'… as suspect's own mother says she has disowned himDezarae Sharp's 11-month-old son, Koah, was found 'clinging to life' on Tuesday afternoon after spending approximately 24 hours shallowly buried under dirt in the South Carolina woods.Daily Mail · 11 Nov, 17:05
• Father arrested after baby boy found buried alive in dog crate‘Hopefully at 11 months old, he will not remember much of this as he grows older, just to have a great inspiring story to tell,’ the sheriff saidIndependent World · 11 Nov, 14:59
• Baby found "clinging to life" after being buried in crate for 24 hoursAn infant was found alive after apparently being buried in a dog crate for about 24 hours, authorities in South Carolina said.CBS News · 11 Nov, 13:57
• Baby boy found alive in dog crate after being 'buried for 24 hours'The infant is currently in hospital recoveringIndependent World · 11 Nov, 09:51
• Missing 11-month-old baby found buried alive in dog crate with just 'enough oxygen to breathe'Search teams eventually noticed 'freshly disturbed' dirt, prompting police to begin digging before they finally heard the infant crying, finding the little boy buried under ground in a dog crateThe Mirror · 11 Nov, 06:57
• Missing baby ‘buried alive in a dog crate’Little Koah spent 24 hours buried alive.Metro · 11 Nov, 06:55
• Baby found alive after being buried in dog crate for 24 hours, South Carolina police sayKoah was found ‘clinging to life’ in a shallow grave after he went missing while in the care of his father, Lexington sheriff’s department said An 11-month-old boy was found alive in South Carolina after he was believed to have been buried for about 24 hours, local police said. The infant, Koah Sharpe, was found on Tuesday wrapped inside a dog crate that was in turn wrapped in a towel and buried just under the surface in the woods, according to the Lexington county sheriff’s department. Continue reading...The Guardian · 11 Nov, 05:59
• Missing 11-month-old miraculously survives being buried alive 24 hours after his dad disappeared with himInvestigators discovered “freshly disturbed dirt” and heard little Koah Sharpe's cries as they started to dig during the heart-pounding rescue.New York Post · 11 Nov, 03:49
• Missing 11-month-old baby boy is found buried alive in dog crate with 'enough oxygen to breathe' as dad is arrestedKoah Sharp, 11 months old, was found crying and 'clinging to life' after being buried alive in the woods of South Carolina, as his father Michael Comer is arrested after taking off with the child on Monday.Daily Mail · 11 Nov, 01:00

In this story: Koah Sharpe · Michael Comer · Jay Koon · Lexington County · South Carolina

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