Grandpa recounts dramatic rescue of baby boy who was buried alive after dad charged, denied bail

Detailed summary

‘I hit my knees and I’m just crying,’ John Comer says of the moment when his grandson sat up

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An 11-month-old boy who authorities say was buried alive in a dog crate by his father was found by rescuers after about 24 hours, crying and covered in dirt, his grandfather says.

But soon after being found in the woods on a property neighboring his grandfather John Comer’s land in Leesville, South Carolina, little Koah Sharp stopped crying.

“I became ecstatic, my hands straight in the air. I’m looking in the sky, jumping up and down, praising God,” Comer said.

Koah was released from the hospital Tuesday night and is expected to make a full recovery, Sheriff Jay Koon said.

The baby’s father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, has now been charged with attempted murder and denied bail.

John Comer said that he had opened his home to his son and grandson Monday after Michael Comer said they needed a place to stay.

Michael Comer has been in custody since Monday, when Koah disappeared. Authorities have not revealed anything about his alleged motive. He was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence.

Dozens of first responders scoured the countryside looking for the boy with reddish-blond hair. After a full day of searching, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below ground, the sheriff said.

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