Missing baby found alive buried in dog crate in South Carolina

South Carolina Missing baby found alive buried in dog crate in South Carolina The Lexington County sheriff said the crate most likely provided enough air for 11-month-old Koah Sharpe to survive. By Phil Helsel and Madonna Deverson | NBC News • Published November 10, 2026 • Updated 4 hours ago An 11-month-old boy who officials said was taken by his father on Monday was found buried alive in a dog crate Tuesday, a discovery a South Carolina sheriff called “joyful.” Koah Sharpe was found alive in a dog crate wrapped in a towel, Lexington County Sheriff Bryan Koon told reporters. Stream Philadelphia News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC10. WATCH HERE “That, by the grace of God, probably provided enough air for him to survive — our estimation is for the last 24 hours under that dirt,” he said. Koah, described as a 20-pound boy with reddish hair who had a pacifier, was taken by his father, Michael Comer, on Monday morning, the sheriff’s office said. The crate was found around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Koon said, near the home of Comer’s father. Comer was arrested late Monday in Lexington County on a burglary charge after he was found in an outbuilding. The baby was not with him, the sheriff’s office said. Koon said Comer’s mother was taking care of the baby Monday morning. Comer came over and his mother left, but another caregiver was on the way, Koon said. “By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” he said. Comer’s mother, Patricia Comer, said in a phone interview Tuesday that she was shocked and that her son’s being in police custody was “where he needs to be.” “Honestly, I’m his mother, and I never expected this from him,” she said. Koah’s mother has full custody of the child, Patricia Comer said. But the boy’s mother would let Patricia Comer supervise him on weekends, and there was no custody agreement preventing Michael Comer from watching the child unsupervised, which he had done before with no problems, Patricia Comer said. She said she went to work Monday and left Koah in his father’s care. Then, at around 11 a.m., a friend went to the home to drop off some formula but no one answered, prompting the friend to call her, Patricia Comer recalled. “Something just did not feel right. I told my boss, ‘I need to leave work,’” she said. “Call it mother’s instinct. I don’t know what it was.” She went home and, “sure enough, Michael had left,” she said. The child was reported missing, and law enforcement began a search. Deputies went to Comer’s father’s home Monday and found the doors open and baby belongings in the house but no sign of Comer or the child, Koon said. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were part of the search for the child. Terrorism 10 hours ago U.S. charges 3 men with plotting terror attacks, including planned assault on U.K. airbase Texas 19 hours ago Texas man accused of cruise ship murder says argument made him ‘snap,' strangle woman: Complaint Crime and Courts 12 hours ago Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, jailed after cutting off ankle monitor A search party of nearly 100 police officers, firefighters and other officials looked for the boy, Koon said. Searchers found a site Tuesday not far from Comer’s father’s house, about 50 yards into some woods with freshly disturbed earth, Koon said. “As they probed it and laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying,” he said. “So, as you can imagine, the race was on.” The baby was taken to a hospital, where he was being cared for Tuesday afternoon, Koon said. He said he hopes the child makes a full recovery. “He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the baby world, I would guess,” Koon said. The wire crate, which was about 2 feet by 2 feet, was buried in a shallow hole, Koon said. Wrapping it in a towel probably created an air pocket, he said. Koon said authorities were working with the prosecutor’s office regarding charges. It was not immediately clear whether Comer had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Koon said the cool weather may also have helped the baby’s chances of survival. “A lot of things were going in Koah’s favor, and the good Lord looked down on him the last 24 hours,” he said. Patricia Comer said that what her son is accused of doing is “pure evil” and that there were no warning signs. She said her son lives with her after a recent jail stint for having drunkenly gone to the home of an ex of Koah’s mother. She added that “all he does is go to work and come home.” She also said she feels hurt that some people are blaming her. “Just know that if I could have prevented this, I would have done everything in my power,” Patricia Comer said. “I had no idea this was going to happen.” She thanked the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and all the agencies and officials who helped find her grandson alive. “I did not know he would do anything like this,” she said of her son. “He’s always been so good with Koah. Who would think their own child would do something like this?” Copyright NBC News This article tagged under: South Carolina Crime and Courts