Warning: Graphic content Trapped in a dog crate and entombed beneath a foot of dirt, a South Carolina infant miraculously survived 24 hours buried underground, authorities say. Koah Sharp was unearthed Tuesday “clinging to life” and “screaming at the top of his lungs,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “It was the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby.” The sheriff’s department previously gave a different spelling of Koah’s last name. Koah’s father, Michael Comer, is facing charges of attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary, the sheriff’s department said in a Wednesday news release, citing arrest warrants. CNN has not reviewed the warrants and has reached out to the Lexington County Clerk of Court to obtain copies. It was not clear whether Comer has legal representation. The 11-month-old was found Tuesday following a frantic search after he and Comer vanished late Monday morning, Koon said. Comer was found and arrested Monday night. Koah had been in the care of his paternal grandmother when Comer came over Monday. The grandmother went to run an errand and left Koah with his father until another caregiver, who was on the way, arrived. By the time the caregiver got there, the father and son had vanished. “I had a bad feeling that something was not right,” Koah’s paternal grandmother, Patricia Comer, told CNN affiliate WACH. She told the station she became concerned and called 911. About 100 law enforcement officers and other personnel scoured central South Carolina for any sign of Koah or his father. By Monday afternoon, surveillance footage captured the 25-year-old father at several businesses – but without his baby. While the day was sunny and warm, the Batesburg-Leesville area saw temperatures drop to roughly 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) on Monday night into Tuesday morning. Koah was trapped underground around this timeframe, according to the sheriff’s office. Houses and farms dot the wooded countryside around the town, which sits about 35 miles (56 kilometres) southwest of Columbia. Investigators found Comer holed up in an outbuilding in the town on Monday night, Koon said. Again, his baby was nowhere to be found. The next day, while searching an area near the home of Comer’s father, investigators noticed freshly disturbed dirt in pine straw about 50 yards (46 metres) into the woods, Koon said. As they started digging, they heard a baby crying. “The race was on,” Koon said. “Everybody’s getting down there trying to get him out.” Koah was found buried in a two-foot-by-two-foot dog crate that was wrapped in a towel, which “probably created an air pocket,” the sheriff said. He was rescued and taken to an undisclosed hospital. Koah was released Tuesday night, the sheriff’s department said in the release. He is with family members and his medical team told investigators he is expected to make a full recovery. Comer remains in custody and has a bond hearing scheduled for Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office. Koon said he doesn’t know why the infant was buried underground. But “hopefully, at 11 months old, he will not remember much of this as he grows older.” “There were obviously some issues” recently between Comer and Koah’s mother, the sheriff said Tuesday. Comer pleaded guilty earlier this year to criminal charges including assault and battery and domestic violence, South Carolina court records show. Details of the charges and who they involved are unknown. By Martin Goillandeau, Holly Yan, CNN
