Missing 11-month-old survives being buried alive 24 hours
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Police officers found a baby buried in a two-foot-by-two-foot dog crate 'clinging to life' after a desperate day-long search.
11-month-old Koah Sharpe of Lexington County, South Carolina, had last been seen with his father Michael Comer, 25 on Monday (9 November), after he'd arrived at his mother's house and she'd left the child in his care while another caregiver was on the way.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a press conference: "By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him."
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A missing persons report was filed and around lunchtime on Monday, officers searched the house of Comer's father, finding the doors open and some of the baby's belongings, but no sign of Koah himself.
Sheriff Koon suggested that Comer asked for rides between various destinations, explaining that they never put out an amber alert for him because he didn't have a vehicle and an alert requires 'a known description of a car and a license plate'.
Comer's mother said that her son had mentioned taking Koah to New York but hadn't anticipated his disappearance.
Sheriff Koon said: "As the day went on and nobody came forward, it was certainly more and more concerning."
A search party of more than 100 officers, public safety officials, firefighters and law enforcement were deployed to search for Koah, with police also using drones to desperately hunt for the infant.
"Hopefully at 11 months old, he will not remember much"
On Monday night, Michael Comer was arrested on a burglary charge after he was found in a shed in Batesburg, but his 11-month-old son was not with him.
"Of course, he didn’t have much to say about the whereabouts of the baby at that time," Sheriff Koon said of the father's alleged unwillingness to discuss his son's whereabouts.
The following day, investigators searching woodlands near Comer's father's house found 'freshly disturbed dirt' and pine straw around 1.30pm and started digging.
Once they did, they could hear the 11-month-old crying, and they were able to dig him out in time before he ran out of air.
Sheriff Koon described the baby as 'clinging to life, crying the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby'.
He described the dog cage the child had been buried in as about two foot by two foot and having 'wire slats', explaining that with it being wrapped in a towel it likely created an air pocket that meant the baby buried alive just about had enough air to breathe.
Officials believe that Koah was buried for around 24 hours, and the child has been taken to hospital where it's hoped he'll make a full recovery.
"Hopefully at 11 months old, he will not remember much of this as he grows older," the sheriff said of the child's ordeal.
Comer remains in custody following his arrest and additional charges connected with him being suspected of burying his baby son are being determined.
Authorities are still trying to determine a motive.
Joe Harker
