South Carolina Father Denied Bond After Allegedly Burying 11-Month-Old Son Alive

A South Carolina man accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate among scrubby pines has been denied bond, a judge ruled Thursday.

Michael Comer displayed no remorse for the alleged attempt on his son Koah’s life and attempted to flee the state, according to Tyler Douglas, lead investigator with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Douglas made the remarks before Judge Gary W. Reinhart, who appointed a public defender to represent Comer and scheduled a hearing for December 10.

Comer, 25, faces charges of attempted murder, burglary, and unlawfully placing a child at risk in connection with the boy’s disappearance and rescue. Koah survived and is expected to recover fully. Comer has remained in Lexington County custody since Monday, when authorities were notified that the child was missing.

Legal counsel has not yet been appointed for Comer.

Rescuers located Koah after approximately 24 hours, and the child was discharged from a hospital on Tuesday night, Sheriff Jay Koon announced.

John Comer said he welcomed his son and grandson into his home on Monday after Michael Comer requested a place to stay. On Wednesday, he showed an Associated Press reporter the small hole on a neighboring property where rescue teams uncovered the child.

“I cannot imagine how somebody could come to the point that that would be the right thing to do, or the thing to do at all,” John Comer told the AP.

Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive. In October, Comer was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy’s mother.

Koah’s parents “have had some situations,” according to the sheriff.

“Children,” he added, “sometimes get caught in the middle.”

Dozens of first responders searched the countryside for the toddler, who has reddish-blond hair. After a full day of searching, officers discovered freshly disturbed soil and heard cries coming from beneath the ground, the sheriff said.

Investigators believe the child survived due to cool temperatures and an air pocket formed by a towel wrapped around the underground crate, the sheriff explained.

Koah was rescued shortly afterward, “clinging to life,” according to the sheriff’s remarks to reporters.

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