LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — The father of an 11-month-old boy who survived being buried alive in a dog cage for about 24 hours has been charged with attempted murder in South Carolina, authorities said Wednesday.
Koah Sharp, reported missing near the state capital of Columbia, was released from the hospital Tuesday evening after being rescued and is expected to make a full recovery, Sheriff Jay Koon said.
The boy’s father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, faces attempted murder and other charges. He has been in detention since Monday, the date of Koah’s disappearance. Authorities have revealed nothing about Comer’s motives. He was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence.
The boy survived thanks to cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate underground, said Koon, who released additional heartbreaking details about the desperate search by nearly 100 first responders.
After a full day of searching Tuesday, authorities found freshly turned up dirt in the woods not far from the boy’s grandfather’s house — and heard screams coming from the basement, the sheriff said.
“As you can imagine, the race was on. Everyone was trying to get him out,” Koon said.
Koah was quickly released and “clinging to life,” the sheriff told reporters.
“He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the world of babies, I guess,” Koon said.
Dad left with his son before the caregiver arrived
This photo provided by Amber Hammond shows 11-month-old Koah Sharp at his great-aunt’s house in West Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (Amber Hammond via AP)
License for this photo
Comer was arrested while hiding in an apartment building in Batesburg-Leesville. It was not immediately known whether he had an attorney capable of responding to the charges. A court hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
“We’re better now that we know Koah is safe,” his great-aunt, Amber Hammond, told the Associated Press. She watched him free himself from the crate.
This image provided by Amber Hammond shows infant Koah Sharp, 11 months old, in West Columbia, South Carolina, Saturday, November 7, 2026. (Amber Hammond via AP)
License for this photo
Authorities said Koah was in the custody of Comer’s mother. She had to run an errand and left the boy in Comer’s care while another caregiver was on the way.
“By the time the caregiver arrived, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” the sheriff said.
Surveillance videos from several area businesses showed Comer without a baby Monday afternoon, Koon said.
Koah’s parents “had some situations” regarding domestic violence charges, the sheriff said.
This photo provided by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office in Lexington, South Carolina, shows Michael Comer on Nov. 10, 2026. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
License for this photo
“Children,” he said, “sometimes find themselves caught in the middle. »
Comer has a criminal record
Hammond said his nephew talked about taking the baby to New York because “he didn’t want to be in the same state as the mother.” When Koah disappeared, she and others assumed Comer had given the boy to someone.
“We had no idea something like this would happen,” Hammond said.
Comer was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach of peace charges related to an arrest in July, according to Lexington County online court records. Prosecutors dropped gun-related charges as part of the plea deal. He was also found to have spent more than two months in prison.
At almost a year old, Koah is trying to fend for himself, said Hammond, who cared for him last weekend. And he already has some TV favorites.
“I was going to feed him, and there was Mickey Mouse,” Hammond said. “You can’t feed him and have Mickey Mouse at the same time.”
__
Associated Press writers Ed White in Detroit, Michael R. Sisak in New York and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed.
Gn headline
