Baby found buried alive after 24 hours, ‘clinging to life’ in rural South Carolina

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WBTV) - A missing baby was found buried alive in rural South Carolina on Tuesday.

The boy -- 11-month-old Koah Sharpe -- went missing in Lexington County after his mother left to run an errand and left him in the care of his father, Michael Comer, on Monday, Nov. 9.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said during a news conference that another caregiver was coming to Koah after the mom left around noon Monday, but when they arrived, both the boy and his father were gone.

Koon said video later showed Comer in the Batesburg-Leesville area; however, the baby was not with him.

“We got worried,” the sheriff said after discovering the baby-less video. “Hoping and praying that he dropped the baby with another person. As the day went on and nobody came forward, it was certainly more and more concerning.”

Comer was arrested Monday night and charged with burglary. The sheriff said he did not give information regarding Koah’s whereabouts.

On Tuesday, Koon said a search party found an area of “freshly disturbed” dirt about 50 yards behind Comer’s father’s house.

Investigators were called in to examine and scope out the disturbed area.

“As they probed it and laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying,” the sheriff said. “So as you can imagine, the race was on. Everybody’s getting down there trying to get him out.”

Once the boy was uncovered, the sheriff said Koah was “clinging to life.” He called the cries “the most joyful sound you’ve ever heard of a crying baby.” He was then taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Koon confirmed the baby was found in a small dog crate with a towel wrapped around it. He said he believed the towel created an air pocket around the wiry crate, which kept Koah alive.

The sheriff said the hole the crate was in was shallow, and estimated Koah was underground for about 24 hours.

Koon said during the Tuesday afternoon news conference that authorities were working to determine what charges to bring against Comer. Lexington County jail records showed only the burglary charge as of Wednesday morning. He was being held without bond.

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