A South Carolina man who allegedly buried his 11-month-old son alive inside a crate expressed no remorse after he was taken into custody, authorities said.
Baby Koah Sharp survived around 24 hours underground inside the crate until he was discovered Tuesday, November 10, after his father had taken him, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, which initially spelled the boy’s last name as Sharpe.
“Koah Sharp is alive and well,” the sheriff’s department said in a Wednesday, November 11, news release.
Michael Comer, Koah’s father, is charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary, according to the agency.
Comer was accused of taking Koah when he was in the care of Comer’s mother on Monday, November 9, setting off an urgent search for the baby near Batesburg-Leesville, Us previously reported.
“She left Koah with Comer to run an errand while another caregiver was coming over,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a statement. “When the caregiver got there, Comer was gone and Koah was with him.”
Comer allegedly buried Koah in what was described as a dog crate wrapped in a towel in the woods near Comer’s father’s home. Investigators believe the towel and colder temperatures likely created an air pocket while he was buried.
Comer was initially arrested on a burglary charge Monday evening, when he was located at an outbuilding in Batesburg without Koah, authorities said.
Comer, who was denied bond on Thursday, November 12, showed no remorse for the attempted murder of his baby, said Tyler Douglas, the lead investigator with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, while speaking to a judge, according to the Associated Press and CBS News.
On Tuesday afternoon, a search party noticed an area of “freshly disturbed” dirt near Comer’s father’s home, leading to the discovery of Koah, Koon said at a news conference.
Investigators started digging in the dirt and found Koah in the crate, “clinging to life, crying,” Koon said.
Koah was “screaming at the top of his lungs” and taken to a hospital, according to Koon.
The boy was released from the hospital Tuesday evening, the sheriff’s department said.
Comer’s father and Koah’s grandfather, John Comer, told the Associated Press that he witnessed his grandson’s miraculous rescue on Wednesday.
“I became ecstatic, my hands straight in the air. I’m looking in the sky, jumping up and down, praising God,” John told the outlet, noting his grandson was crying and covered in dirt. “And at the same time I hit my knees and I’m just crying.”
Michael has reportedly not yet been appointed legal counsel.
Last month, he pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge, resulting in a sentence of probation, per the Associated Press.
