Bond denied for man accused of burying his 11-month-old son alive

LEXINGTON, S.C. (WIS/AP) – Bond was denied Thursday for the father accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in a clump of scrubby pines.

Michael Comer showed no remorse for attempting to kill his son, Koah, and tried to leave the state, Tyler Douglas, lead investigator for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, told Judge Gary W. Reinhart. Reinhart approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for Dec. 10.

Comer, 25, is charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary.

Comer has been in custody in Lexington County since Monday, when his son was reported missing.

An attorney for Comer has not yet been appointed.

Koah, who rescuers found after about 24 hours, was released from a hospital Tuesday night, Sheriff Jay Koon said.

Comer’s mother told authorities about previous suicidal statements her son had made and that he had talked about taking Koah to New York, where he claimed to have friends who could help him find work.

John Comer said he’d opened his home to his son and grandson on Monday after Michael Comer said they needed a place to stay. On Wednesday, he showed an Associated Press reporter the small hole on a neighbor’s property where rescuers uncovered the child.

“I cannot imagine how somebody could come to the point that that would be the right thing to do, or the thing to do at all,” John Comer told the AP.

Authorities haven’t revealed anything about Comer’s motive. He was sentenced in October to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy’s mother.

Koah’s parents “have had some situations,” the sheriff said.

“Children,” he said, “sometimes get caught in the middle.”

Dozens of first responders scoured the countryside for the boy with reddish blond hair. After a full day of searching, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below, the sheriff said.

The boy likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel that was wrapped around the crate below ground, he said.

“By the grace of God, [it] probably provided enough air for him to survive ur estimation of the last 24 hours under that dirt,” Koon said.

Koah was soon freed and “clinging to life,” the sheriff told reporters.