Father of baby found buried alive in Lexington County facing new charges

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - The father of a baby found in Lexington County is now charged with burying his child alive.

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said 25-year-old Michael Comer is charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary.

Comer is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Thursday morning.

Comer was arrested Monday night, hours after he had been last seen with his 11-month-old son, Koah Sharp. Authorities said Comer’s mother left her son with Koah while she ran an errand, and also as another caregiver was on the way.

When the second caregiver arrived, they couldn’t find Comer or baby Koah.

LCSD said deputies were then called to Comer’s father’s house on Parthenon Road in Batesburg-Leesville. Both doors of the home were open, but the house was empty aside from some baby items that were found.

Security footage from later Monday also showed Comer in Batesburg-Leesville, but Koah was not with him. Comer was also reportedly at multiple locations across Lexington County on Monday, but authorities noted that he does not have access to a vehicle.

Comer was eventually arrested Monday night after hiding in an outbuilding in Batesburg-Leesville, which investigators said is what led to his initial burglary charge.

Meanwhile, over 100 law enforcement officers from various agencies began searching for Koah. On Tuesday afternoon, officials said a search party found freshly disturbed dirt not far from Comer’s father’s home and then began hearing Koah crying.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said Koah was found buried in a dog crate wrapped in a towel.

“By the grace of God, [it] probably provided enough air for him to survive ur estimation of the last 24 hours under that dirt,” Koon said.

In a statement released Wednesday, LCSD directly accused Comer of burying Koah alive.

Koah is out of the hospital as of Wednesday evening and is back with family members. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Comer’s previous arrests

Comer’s arrest comes just over a month after he was placed on probation following a guilty plea for aggravated breach of peace, according to public court and state records.

Court records also show Comer had previous arrests earlier this year for domestic violence, as well as a weapons-related charge.

How to help the family

Members of Koah’s family have also since established a GoFundMe for those who want to help with medical bills and legal expenses.

Click/tap here for more information.

Timeline of events

The timeline below is based on previous reporting and records obtained by WIS that include Comer’s arrest warrants as well as an incident report from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department:

Friday Nov. 6

• Koah’s mother told deputies this was the last time she saw Koah when she gave him to Comer. She expected him to keep the child for a day or two.

Sunday, Nov. 8

• Comer speaks of suicide due to not being able to be with Koah’s mother, according to his mother.
  • Comer had also previously spoken about taking Koah to New York, where he claimed he could find work and had friends who could help him and Koah.

Monday, Nov. 9

• Around 5:45 a.m. - Comer’s mother sees Comer preparing formula for Koah as she left for work
• Around 8:30 a.m. - Video shows Comer walking through the house, according to Comer’s mother.
• Around 11:30 a.m. - Formula left by a friend remained at the home. Comer’s mother says she thought he had already left.
• 12:28 p.m. - Missing persons case is reported.
• Around 12:30 p.m. - Comer’s mother returns and finds both he and Koah gone. Authorities are first called.
• Between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. - A Lexington County deputy responds to the home and is given permission to search. A phone ping was also established by the deputy.
• Monday afternoon - Deputies go to Comer’s father’s home on Parthenon Road. Both doors were reportedly open, but the home was empty except for things that were Koah’s.
• Around 6:30 p.m. - Comer enters a shed/outbuilding in the Batesburg area, according to a warrant.
• Around 10 p.m. - Comer is located and taken into custody. He’s charged with burglary. Koah, meanwhile, is nowhere to be found.
  • Comer was later denied bond on the burglary charge and remained jailed.

Tuesday, Nov. 10

• Tuesday afternoon - As the search for Koah continued, a search party finds an area of fresh dirt near Comer’s father’s home. When they began digging, the search party heard Koah crying.
  • Koah is rescued after being found buried in a dog crate wrapped in a towel. Authorities estimate he was buried for around 24 hours.
  • Koah is taken to a hospital.

Wednesday, Nov. 11

• Additional charges against Comer, including a count of attempted murder, are made public. Warrants allege Comer buried Koah and kept him from his mother, who documents identify as the lawful custodian.
• Koah is out of the hospital, back with family and is expected to make a full recovery.

Thursday, Nov. 12

• Comer is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing on his latest charges.

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS for updates.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.