An 11-month-old baby boy who officials said was taken by his father on Monday was found buried alive in a dog crate Tuesday, a discovery a South Carolina sheriff called joyful.
Koah Sharpe was discovered alive in a dog crate wrapped in a towel, Lexington County Sheriff Bryan Koon told reporters.
“That, by the grace of God, probably provided enough air for him to survive — our estimation is, for the last 24 hours under that dirt,” he said.
Koah, described as a 20-pound boy with reddish hair and who had a pacifier, was taken by his father, Michael Comer, on Monday, the sheriff’s office said.
The crate was found buried around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Koon said, near the home of Comer’s father.
Comer was arrested late Monday in Lexington County on a burglary charge after he was found in an outbuilding, but the baby was not with him, the sheriff’s office said.
On Monday, the boy was in the care of Comer’s mother, Comer came over, and the woman left to run an errand but another caregiver was on the way, Koon said.
“By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” Koon said.
Deputies went to Comer’s father’s home around noon Monday and found the doors open and baby belongings in the house but no sign of Comer or the baby, Koon said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were part of the search for the child.
A search party of nearly 100 police officers, firefighters and other officials looked for the boy, Koon said.
Searchers on Tuesday found a site not far from Comer’s father’s house, about 50 yards into some woods with freshly disturbed earth, Koon said.
“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.”
The baby was taken to a hospital where he was being cared for Tuesday afternoon, Koon said. The sheriff said he hopes the child makes a full recovery.
“He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the baby world, I would guess,” Koon said.
The crate, which was about 2 feet by 2 feet, was buried in a shallow hole, Koon said.
Wrapping the wire crate in a towel probably created an air pocket, he said.
Koon said authorities were working with the prosecutor’s office regarding charges.
It was not immediately clear if Comer had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. A phone number for Comer’s parents could not immediately be found Tuesday.
Koon said the cool weather may also have helped the baby’s chances of survival.
“A lot of things were going in Koah’s favor, and the good Lord looked down on him the last 24 hours,” he said.
