OMM Newsroom
An 11-month-old baby has been rescued in South Carolina after officials said his father buried him alive in a crate, according to BBC World.
Koah Sharpe had been missing since Monday, when his father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, took him from his mother’s home, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said. Comer was arrested on a burglary charge on Monday evening, but the child was not with him.
Sharpe was found on Tuesday near his father’s home, “buried alive” and “clinging to life”, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said at a news conference. Officials believe he had been there for 24 hours.
The child is receiving hospital care. Koon said he was hopeful Sharpe would make a full recovery. Police are still deciding whether to bring further charges against Comer.
The search began after Comer left with the baby while his mother was watching him. Koon said Comer’s mother had briefly left her son alone with the child before he abruptly left with Sharpe.
Comer was seen travelling to several locations without the baby and was later arrested in Lexington County. A search party of 100 police and fire officials was sent to look for Sharpe. When asked where his son was, Comer “did not have much to say” about his whereabouts, Koon said.
Searchers looked in woods near the home of Comer’s father and noticed “freshly disturbed dirt”. As they began digging, they heard a baby crying, which Koon described as “the most joyful sound you ever heard”.
“The race was on. Everybody was getting down there trying to get him out,” Koon said.
The crate was wrapped in a towel, which probably allowed enough air for Sharpe to survive, Koon said. He added that the cold weather kept the baby from getting too hot.
Koon estimated that the crate was about two feet (61cm) by two feet and said it may have been at least a foot below ground level.
Regarding the parents’ relationship, the sheriff said there were “obviously some issues”. Court records show Comer had previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges.
Comer’s mother, Patricia Comer, told NBC News that Sharpe’s mother had full custody of him and had allowed her to supervise while her son watched the baby. She said her son had looked after the child unsupervised before without any problems.
“Honestly, I’m his mother, and I never expected this from him,” Patricia Comer said.
