Baby Found Alive After About 24 Hours Underground in South Carolina

By Sarah Collins | November 12, 2026

An 11-month-old boy was found alive in South Carolina on Tuesday afternoon, about 24 hours after he was last seen with his father, in a case that has drawn attention across the country for the rescue and for the charges that followed.

The infant, Koah Sharp, was found in a wooded area off the 300 block of Parthenon Road in Batesburg-Leesville, about 30 miles west of Columbia. He was inside a two-foot-by-two-foot dog crate, wrapped in a towel, and buried about a foot underground. Searchers found him at about 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 10, after a search that had begun the day before.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said the baby was "clinging to life" and crying when searchers reached him. The sheriff said the towel wrapped around the crate probably created a small pocket of air, and that cool overnight temperatures, which fell to around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, may also have helped him survive. Koon estimated that the baby had been underground for about 24 hours, based in part on security footage showing his father without the baby.

Koah had last been seen late on Monday morning, November 9, when he was in the care of his paternal grandmother. According to the sheriff, his father, 25-year-old Michael Comer of Gaston, South Carolina, came to the home that morning and left with the child. When the baby could not be found, a search began around midday on Monday. More than 100 law enforcement officers and other responders took part, including the FBI, along with public safety officials and first responders. They searched the woods near the home of the baby's grandfather, where the family had visited on Monday, and a patch of freshly disturbed dirt covered with pine straw caught their attention.

Comer was arrested on Monday night in Batesburg-Leesville, while Koah was still missing, on charges of burglary and resisting arrest. After the baby was found, the sheriff's department announced further charges. Comer is now charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference, and burglary, according to arrest warrants cited by the sheriff's department. He remains in custody, and a bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday, November 12. These are charges, not convictions, and the case will now go through the courts. CNN reported that it had not reviewed the warrants and had reached out to the court to obtain copies.

After his rescue, Koah was taken to a local hospital. By Tuesday night, he had been released and was with family members. The sheriff's department said the medical team has told investigators that the baby is expected to make a full recovery. That update, given on Wednesday, was the news that many people following the search had been hoping for, after a day in which officials had described the baby as clinging to life.

For the community in Lexington County, the story is both a relief and a shock. A search that began with a missing baby ended with a rescue that officials described as miraculous, and with a father facing some of the most serious charges in the state's criminal code. The baby's recovery is now the clearest part of the story. Everything else, including the exact sequence of events on Monday and the outcome of the criminal case, will depend on the investigation and the courts.

Officials have asked anyone with information to contact the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. For now, the family has the baby back, and doctors expect him to recover fully.

Sources: USA Today, November 11, 2026; CNN, November 11-12, 2026; Reuters, November 10-11, 2026; Lexington County Sheriff's Department statements via Sheriff Jay Koon. The spelling of the baby's last name varied in early reports; this article uses the spelling given in the sheriff's department's later statements. All charges against Michael Comer are allegations at this stage.