LEXINGTON, SC — An 11-month-old boy was found alive in South Carolina after deputies said he had been buried for roughly 24 hours and was still crying when rescuers reached him. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon identified the child as Koah Sharpe and said searchers uncovered him Tuesday in the woods.
Authorities said Koah had been wrapped inside a dog crate, then covered with a towel and buried just beneath the surface. Koon said the child was hospitalized after the rescue and is expected to recover, calling the discovery a moment of relief after an intense search.
Father arrested as deputies investigate possible additional charges
Deputies said Koah’s father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, was arrested Monday night on suspicion of burglary. The sheriff’s department said it is working with prosecutors to determine whether more charges should be filed in connection with the child’s disappearance and burial.
Koon did not describe all of the evidence deputies believe links Comer to the case, but he said investigators were continuing to build the criminal case after the child was found. The sheriff’s department has not publicly detailed a motive.
Koah was reported missing after being left with his father
According to Koon, Koah went missing Monday after he was left in his father’s care at his mother’s home while she ran an errand. The child was later reported missing, prompting authorities to launch a broad search effort.
The sheriff said about 100 people took part in looking for the infant. That search expanded through the day and into the next, with deputies and volunteers trying to trace where the child had gone after he was last seen.
Fresh dirt in the woods led searchers to the buried crate
Authorities said the breakthrough came when a search party noticed freshly disturbed dirt in the woods about 50 yards from Comer’s father’s house. Koon said the area was examined closely because the soil looked recently turned over.
As rescuers began digging, they heard Koah crying from below the dirt. Koon said the sound sent searchers into a rush to reach him as quickly as possible and pull him out safely.
Sheriff says the towel may have helped the baby survive
Koon said the towel wrapped around the crate may have allowed enough air to pass through for the child to survive under the dirt. He said the department believed the covering, by chance, may have provided what was needed for Koah to remain alive during the time he was buried.
The sheriff described the rescue as extraordinary and credited the search effort for finding the child in time. He said the baby was crying when discovered, which he called the most reassuring sign possible in such a frightening situation.
Hospital care follows a rescue that deputies called a miracle
After being pulled from the ground, Koah was taken for medical care and then hospitalized. Koon said officials were hopeful the infant would recover, though no further details about his condition were immediately released.
The sheriff ended his remarks by thanking everyone involved in the search and stressing that the child was alive. He described the outcome as a celebration for the community after nearly a full day of worry and uncertainty.
