An 11-month-old South Carolina boy was found alive beneath the ground inside a wire dog crate, bringing an agonizing search to an end and leading to the arrest of his father.
Koah Sharp was discovered crying inside the buried crate near Batesburg-Leesville on Tuesday, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said.
“Certainly, God is good. Just a few moments ago we found little Koah Sharp, 11 months old, buried alive and clinging to life,” Koon told reporters at a news conference.
“He was crying—the most joyful sound you could ever hear from a crying baby.”
Nearly 100 emergency personnel took part in the search. Investigators believe the infant may have spent roughly 24 hours trapped beneath the soil before rescuers located him.
Search crews noticed an area of “freshly disturbed” earth and pine straw Tuesday afternoon. As they began digging, they heard the baby’s cries.
“As they probed it, laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying,” Koon said. “So, as you can imagine, the race was on. Everybody was getting down there trying to get him out.”
Rescuers pulled Koah from the crate, which had been covered with a towel. Koon said the covering may have helped create an air pocket that allowed the child to breathe.
Sheriff Jay Koon said Koah Sharp, pictured with his father Michael Comer, was found crying inside a buried wire crate near Batesburg-Leesville on Tuesday
About 100 emergency responders joined the search after the 11-month-old was believed to have spent nearly 24 hours buried beneath the ground
Investigators spotted “freshly disturbed” soil and pine straw Tuesday before hearing the infant, pictured with his mother Dezarae Sharp, crying from underground
“By the grace of God, it probably provided enough air for him to survive,” Koon said, estimating that Koah had been under the dirt for about 24 hours or less.
The child was located roughly 50 yards from his paternal grandfather’s home. He had last been seen at around 11 a.m. Monday.
Koah had been staying with his grandmother, Trish Comer, the mother of his 25-year-old father, Michael Comer. Koon said the arrangement was a common one.
When Trish left to run an errand, Koah remained with his father while another caregiver was expected to arrive.
“By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” Koon said.
Authorities were contacted around noon Monday and went to the home of Comer’s father, located “up the street,” according to the sheriff.
Both doors at the grandfather’s house were open, and officers found the baby’s belongings inside. However, there was “no sign of Michael or the baby.”
Comer was not known to own a vehicle, and investigators believed he may have traveled by hitchhiking from “place to place.”
Koah had been staying with his grandmother, Trish Comer, the mother of his 25-year-old father, Michael Comer—a situation Sheriff Koon said “happens quite often”
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Trish left to run an errand while Koah stayed with his father, who was expected to hand him over to another caregiver. “By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” Koon said
Police said Comer was not known to have a car and believed he may have been hitchhiking between locations
Investigators later obtained video showing Comer in the Batesburg-Leesville area without the baby.
Koon said authorities were “hoping and praying” that Comer had left Koah with another caregiver. But as the hours passed and no one came forward, concern for the infant grew.
Comer was found late Monday in an outbuilding at a Batesburg home. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary and resisting arrest.
“He didn’t have much to say about the whereabouts of the baby at that time,” Koon said.
Koah’s mother, Dezarae Sharp, said Comer had been permitted to see his son on weekends because he had been attending therapy and had stopped drinking.
“His dad decided, though, it was time to get jealous over other guys, so he pulled this on this weekend’s trip,” she said. She added that Comer was “a harm to himself as far as I’ve heard, so possibly to others.”
Trish said on Facebook that she left work early after sensing something was wrong. She called police once she realized her son had taken Koah.
“I called [the police] as soon as I realized he took the baby,” she wrote. “He had his dad pick him up and then he took off on foot with Koah from his dad’s house.”
Comer was found Monday night in an outbuilding in Batesburg and arrested on burglary and resisting arrest charges. At the time, he offered little information about the baby’s whereabouts
Koah’s mother, Dezarae Sharp, said Comer had been allowed weekend visits after attending therapy and giving up alcohol
Trish Comer said she knew her “son’s a problem” but “did not know that he was this bad.” She said he loved Koah and would do anything for him
Trish made several emotional Facebook posts asking the public to help locate Koah, describing the ordeal as a “horrific time.”
“I love that grandbaby with all my heart… I have not slept in over 24 hours,” she wrote. “You don’t know what it’s like to lose a grandchild like that and have your son do something like this. I’m not trying to play the woe-is-me card, but this whole situation has been heartbreaking.”
She said she understood that her “son’s a problem” but had not realized the extent of his behavior.
“He loved that baby; he’d do anything for that baby. He took good care of that baby. If you could see him with that baby, he was wonderful,” she wrote.
“I did not know that he would do something like this, and I’m sorry that I did not see this beforehand.”
Our News Outlet contacted the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
