Baby survives 24 hours buried in crate

An 11-month-old boy survived an estimated 24 hours buried alive in a dog crate before being found by deputies in Lexington County, South Carolina.

Michael Comer, 25, was charged with attempted murder this week after authorities recovered his son, Koah, at the home of Comer's father. The infant had been missing since earlier in the week when he vanished with his father. A grandmother reported the boy missing after relatives could not reach Comer, who had recently been released from jail and was on probation.

In a 911 call released Tuesday, the grandmother stated that Comer was supposed to be watching his son but did not have custody. The mother holds custody. She noted that Comer had been making statements about traveling to New York, a move he could not make while on probation. The family left work to search for him after he failed to return home the previous night.

Deputies located Koah on Tuesday afternoon. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said the child was found wrapped in a towel inside a dog crate. Investigators noted pine straw and freshly disturbed dirt at the site. When they began digging, they heard the boy crying. Koon described the effort to extract the infant, noting that the air supply likely allowed him to survive the time under the dirt.

Comer appeared in court Thursday. A judge refused to set bond on the most serious charges. Although news cameras were present in the courtroom, Comer was positioned behind a door visible to the judge but hidden from the rest of the room. Prosecutors told the court that Comer showed no remorse after learning the boy was alive. They also stated that Comer did not assist investigators during the search.

The next court appearance is scheduled for December 10.