Father Charged With Attempted Murder After Boy Found Alive in Buried Dog Crate

Koah Sharp, an 11-month-old boy who was buried alive in a dog crate in woods in South Carolina, has been released from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to Sheriff Jay Koon. The Guardian reported that the boy was released Tuesday night.

The boy's father, Michael Comer, 25, has been charged with attempted murder, a charge alleging that a person tried to kill someone. Comer has been in custody since Monday, the day Koah disappeared.

According to Sheriff Koon, Koah was left in Comer's care by Comer's mother while she ran an errand. By the time another caregiver arrived, both Michael and Koah were gone. Surveillance video from area businesses showed Comer without the baby on Monday afternoon, the sheriff said.

Rescuers found Koah after noticing freshly disturbed soil and hearing cries from below ground. He had been underground for about 24 hours. Koon said the boy likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the buried crate.

Comer was arrested while hiding in a building in Batesburg-Leesville, a town in South Carolina.

Comer's record was already before the courts. In October, he was sentenced to probation, a form of supervision in the community instead of prison, after pleading guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach-of-the-peace charges, which concern disturbing public order. Those charges stemmed from a July arrest. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped a gun charge, according to Lexington County online court records.

Family members have also spoken about the case. Amber Hammond, Koah's great-aunt, said Michael talked about taking Koah to New York because he did not want to be in the same state as the boy's mother. John Comer is Koah's grandfather and Michael's father.

A court hearing for Michael Comer was planned for Thursday.