The Eyrie

LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC — A missing 11-month-old boy was found alive Tuesday afternoon after deputies say he had been buried inside a dog crate in a wooded area near Batesburg-Leesville. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said Koah Sharp was crying when searchers uncovered him, nearly 24 hours after he disappeared.

Authorities said the infant had been wrapped in a towel inside a wire crate and may have survived because the covering created an air pocket. Koon described the rescue as an extraordinary moment after a large search involving law enforcement, firefighters and emergency crews.

Deputies say the search led to a buried crate in the woods

Search teams were operating near Parthenon Road, close to the home of Koah’s paternal grandfather, when they noticed fresh dirt and pine straw in a wooded area. That detail drew investigators in, and as they began digging, they heard the baby crying.

According to the sheriff’s office, the boy was found about 50 yards into the woods. Koon said the discovery came during a coordinated search that included nearly 100 officers and other public safety personnel from across the area.

He later told reporters that the sound of the crying child was the most joyful thing he had heard. Once recovered, Koah was placed with emergency medical personnel and taken to a hospital for treatment and evaluation.

How investigators say the child disappeared Monday

Deputies said Koah had been in the care of his grandmother on Monday when his father, Michael Comer, arrived. The grandmother left to run an errand and expected another caregiver to arrive, according to the sheriff’s department.

By the time that other caregiver reached the home, Comer and the infant were gone. Authorities later searched a home belonging to Comer’s father on Parthenon Road and found open doors and baby items inside, but no sign of either person.

Investigators said Comer did not have a vehicle and had been getting rides, which helped shape the search effort as deputies tried to track his movements and determine where he might have taken the child.

Surveillance footage and a late-night arrest narrowed the search

Deputies later reviewed surveillance video that showed Comer at several businesses in the Batesburg-Leesville area without the infant. That evidence added urgency to the search and helped investigators identify where they should keep looking.

Late Monday night, deputies found Comer inside an outbuilding on a property off Columbia Avenue in Batesburg-Leesville. He was arrested on burglary and resisting arrest charges after deputies took him into custody.

Authorities said Comer did not tell investigators where the baby was when questioned. Sheriff Koon said officials are now working with the solicitor’s office to determine whether Comer could face additional charges as the case develops.

Officials have not said why the baby was buried

Investigators have not established a motive for what happened to Koah, and Koon said the case remains active. The sheriff also acknowledged that there had been previous issues involving Comer and the child’s mother, but he did not describe those problems in detail.

Because the investigation is still underway, officials have not released every detail about the circumstances that led to the infant being buried in the crate. For now, the central focus remains on Koah’s condition and the steps needed to account for what happened over the past day.

A community search effort and a narrow window of survival

Koon credited the large response from law enforcement, firefighters and community members with helping bring the child home alive. He said tips from the public and the coordinated search effort were key to locating the wooded area where the buried crate was found.

Officials believe Koah may have been buried for about 24 hours before being discovered. The sheriff said the towel and crate may have created just enough space for him to breathe, a small detail that may have made the difference between life and death.

The case has left investigators continuing their work while hospital staff care for the infant. Lexington County authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.