Michael Comer

Introduction

Michael Comer is a 25-year-old South Carolina man charged with attempted murder after the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said he buried his 11-month-old son, Koah Sharp, alive in a dog crate in a shallow grave in the woods near Batesburg-Leesville . The baby, taken while in his grandmother’s care on Monday, November 9, was found the following afternoon by searchers who heard him crying from under the dirt, and a search of more than 100 first responders ended with the child freed from a wire crate wrapped in a towel . Sheriff Jay Koon said the boy had been buried for what authorities estimated was about 24 hours, and announced on Wednesday, November 11 that the infant had been released from the hospital and returned to his family, where his medical team expects a full recovery . In a statement released that Wednesday, the sheriff’s department directly accused Comer of burying his son alive .

Background Information

Comer is the father of Koah Sharp, whose mother is not currently in a relationship with him; the sheriff described the parents as having “some situations,” saying children “sometimes get caught in the middle” . The charges came just over a month after Comer was placed on probation following a guilty plea to aggravated breach of peace, and court records show earlier arrests this year on domestic violence and weapons-related charges — prosecutors dropped a gun charge as part of an October plea deal that also credited him with more than two months already served in jail . His mother, Patricia Comer, told authorities she had previously been concerned about her son’s mental health, saying he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic depression, and reported earlier suicidal statements as well as his talk of taking the baby to New York, where he claimed to have friends who could help him find work .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged; not tried. The account below comes from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department’s statements and press briefings as reported by WIS, the Associated Press and the New York Post. Comer has been charged with attempted murder and other offenses but has not been tried: he is presumed innocent, no plea has been reported, and coverage through the week did not confirm an attorney speaking for him.

According to the sheriff’s department account, Koah was with his grandmother — Comer’s mother — at her home on Monday, November 9, when Comer arrived; she left on an errand expecting another caregiver to arrive, and by the time that caregiver reached the house, both Comer and the baby were gone . Patricia Comer called 911, telling WACH she “had a bad feeling that something was not right” . Deputies who went to the home of Comer’s father on Parthenon Road in Batesburg-Leesville — where the sheriff said Michael Comer had asked to stay with the baby — found both doors open, baby belongings inside, and no sign of father or son . Surveillance video from area businesses later showed Comer moving around Batesburg-Leesville without the baby; investigators said he had no vehicle and had been getting rides, and the sheriff said he gave no information about the child’s whereabouts when questioned .

Comer was arrested Monday night after he was found hiding in an outbuilding, which investigators said produced his initial burglary charge; the baby was not with him . The next afternoon, after a search that grew to more than 100 first responders from local, state and federal agencies, searchers spotted freshly disturbed soil and pine straw roughly 50 yards into the woods on a neighboring property behind the grandfather’s home, and as investigators began digging they heard Koah crying under the dirt . The boy was buried in a wire dog crate wrapped in a towel; Koon said the wrapping likely created an air pocket that, with cool overnight temperatures, let him survive his estimated 24 hours underground — “By the grace of God, [it] probably provided enough air,” the sheriff said, calling the discovery “the most joyful sound you ever heard of a crying baby” . Investigators say they have not determined a specific motive; the department noted existing issues between Comer and the baby’s mother, and family members told authorities jealousy may have motivated him to take the boy . On Wednesday, November 11, the sheriff’s office announced the new charges: attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, and custodial interference, added to the burglary count from Monday night .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The rescue and the charges drew national wire coverage within a day, and the sheriff’s department released Comer’s booking photo alongside the Wednesday announcement . Comer’s father, John Comer, told the Associated Press he had opened his home to his son and grandson at Michael’s request and said of the discovery, “I became ecstatic, my hands straight in the air… jumping up and down, praising God” — while also saying “it just seems like he already had this planned out” . The boy’s great-aunt, Amber Hammond, who cared for Koah the weekend before and watched him pulled from the crate, said “we had no idea something like this would happen at all” . Members of Koah’s family set up a GoFundMe for medical and related expenses, calling the episode “unimaginable trauma” . No statement from Comer himself was reported in the early coverage, and the AP noted it was not immediately known whether he had a lawyer who could respond to the charges .

Current Status

Comer has been in custody since his Monday-night arrest and now faces four charges: attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary . He is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing on Thursday morning, November 12 . The case is at the charging stage: the sheriff’s department’s accusation that he buried his son alive is the department’s own statement, no indictment or trial has occurred, and no conviction has been entered on any of the four counts . Investigators said they have not established a motive and were reviewing Comer’s statements and movements during the roughly day-long search . Koah was released from the hospital and is back with family members, where his medical team expects a full recovery; WIS reported the boy came home exhausted and hungry .

Impact on Their Career/Life

Comer was not a public figure before the case, and the charges transformed his standing entirely at the local level: he is a named defendant in a four-count prosecution that includes attempted murder, held without a reported bond pending Thursday’s hearing, with a booking photo circulated by the investigating agency and wire coverage carrying the case nationally . The case also lands little more than a month after an October probation sentence in an earlier matter, meaning his new charges arrive while he was already under court supervision, a detail both court-record reporting and the sheriff’s office emphasized . Whatever the hearing produces, the documented record now pairs his son’s rescue with the department’s public accusation against the father, and the bond hearing and any indictment will determine the case’s next step.

Sources

NY Post, “11-month-old buried alive for 24 hours miraculously released from hospital as dad is charged with attempted murder,” November 12, 2026 — source
WIS (via WMBF News), “Koah Sharp case: Father facing attempted murder, other new charges,” November 11, 2026 — source
Associated Press (via WHEC), “Father of boy who survived being buried alive is charged with attempted murder in South Carolina,” November 11, 2026 — source