Baby Survived 24 Hours Buried Alive in Dog Crate

An 11-month-old boy in South Carolina survived an estimated 24 hours buried alive in a dog crate, authorities said Tuesday. Sheriff Jay Koon of Lexington County said investigators found the child at the house of his father’s parent while searching for the missing infant. The boy, identified as Koah, was wrapped in a towel and covered with pine straw and freshly disturbed dirt.

Police located the boy just after 24 hours had passed since he was last seen with his father, Michael Comer, 25. Koon stated that as officers began digging, they heard the infant crying. He described the effort to extract the child as a race against time, noting that the air trapped in the crate likely allowed Koah to survive the period underground. The child was found alive and is recovering.

Comer was charged with attempted murder this week. He disappeared earlier in the week with Koah, prompting family members to call 911. The grandmother, who was watching the child that day, told the dispatcher that Comer did not have custody. She reported that the mother retained custody and that she was scheduled to take the baby home that evening. The family could not reach Comer all day, and he had not come home the previous night.

The grandmother explained to the dispatcher that Comer had been released from jail the previous month and was on probation. She said he had been making comments about traveling to New York, a move he was not permitted to make under his probation terms. She left work after relatives grew concerned about his absence. Investigators said Comer did nothing to assist during the search and showed no remorse after learning Koah had been found alive.

Comer appeared in Lexington County court on Thursday. A judge refused to set bond on the most serious charges. During the hearing, Comer was positioned behind a door where the judge could see him, but the rest of the courtroom could not. Prosecutors told the judge that the father remained hidden from public view despite cameras being present in the room.

The next court appearance for Comer is scheduled for December 10. The case originated in Lexington, South Carolina, where the 911 call revealed the family’s panic as they tried to notify authorities of the missing baby and father. The boy’s mother has custody, and the grandmother was the primary contact for the initial report. Koon attributed the infant’s survival to the air pocket within the crate.