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An 11-month-old baby has been rescued after spending nearly 24 hours buried alive in a dog crate in the US, with an attempted murder charge laid against the father.
Baby Koah Sharpe was found on Wednesday after a frantic search involving about 100 police, firefighters and other emergency personnel in
Lexington County, South Carolina.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said rescuers searching for the baby discovered disturbed earth and heard the baby crying as they dug him free.
The baby boy had disappeared on Tuesday while in the care of his father, Michael Comer, 25.
The baby’s paternal grandmother briefly left him in Comer’s care while she ran an errand. By the time another caregiver arrived, father and son had vanished.
Surveillance footage showed Comer travelling to several locations without the child.
Comer was arrested later that night but the infant was not with him, prompting an intensive overnight search, which was unsuccessful.
The breakthrough came the next day when searchers focused on woodland near Comer’s father’s house. Koon said investigators spotted freshly disturbed soil about 45m into the woods.
“As you can imagine, the race was on. Everyone was trying to get him out,” Koon said.
“As they probed it and laid it out and started digging, you could hear little Koah crying.”
He described the sound as “the most joyful sound you ever heard”.
Authorities allege the baby had been placed inside a dog crate wrapped in a towel before being buried. Investigators believe he had been underground for about 24 hours.
Koon said the infant was found “clinging to life” and rushed to hospital.
The baby was discharged to the care of his family on Wednesday and is expected to make a full recovery.
Investigators believe the towel he was wrapped in may have helped create an air pocket that allowed the child to breathe while trapped underground. Cool temperatures may also have contributed to his survival, ABC News reported.
Comer was charged with attempted murder, unlawful conduct towards a child, custodial interference and burglary, according to arrest warrants.
Court records cited by the BBC show Comer was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach-of-peace offences arising from a July arrest.
“We want to thank everybody and just celebrate the fact today that an 11-month-old baby is alive,” Koon said.
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