Deputies Rescue Infant Buried Alive!

forensic investigator at outdoor crime scene behind caution tape — Photo: Wulle / Shutterstock

Searchers followed the sound of a baby’s cry to a patch of fresh dirt—and pulled an 11-month-old out alive.

Story Snapshot

Deputies found an infant in a wire dog crate under shallow soil near Parthenon Road.
Rescuers heard crying, uncovered the crate, and recovered the child alive after a day-long search.
The father, Michael Comer, was arrested separately after the baby vanished in his care.
Investigators believe a towel around the crate helped create an air pocket that kept the child breathing.

Rescue in the woods, minutes from a home

Lexington County deputies and volunteers searched rugged woods near Parthenon Road on Tuesday. They noticed disturbed soil about 50 yards from the home of the child’s paternal grandfather. A faint cry cut through the brush. Deputies dug and found a wire dog crate wrapped in a towel. Inside lay 11-month-old Koah, alive and responsive. Sheriff Jay Koon said teams heard him crying just before they uncovered the crate and rushed him out for care.

Searchers had spent more than a day combing the area. Sheriff Koon told local media that the discovery happened early Tuesday afternoon after teams zeroed in on fresh earth. He said the towel around the crate may have formed a small air pocket, which could explain how the baby kept breathing long enough to be found. The baby was described as “clinging to life” at rescue but alive, a result that turned a frantic search into a narrow save.

How the search began and the arrest that followed

The case started when Koah disappeared after being left in the care of his father, Michael Comer. The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department announced a missing-infant alert and soon after reported Comer’s arrest on burglary and resisting-arrest charges. The baby was not with him at the time of the arrest. Deputies kept searching the area tied to family, which is how they ended up near the grandfather’s property and found the disturbed ground that led to Koah.

Reporters at the scene and local outlets described a precise recovery timeline. Deputies found Koah between about 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, just over 24 hours after he was last seen. Sheriff Koon said he believed Koah had been underground for around a day, based on the custody timeline and the condition at the site. That estimate explains the urgency of the final push and why the sound of crying moved searchers to act fast.

What investigators say about the buried crate

Reports describe a crate shallowly buried, wrapped in a towel, and covered with loose soil. That setup is consistent with what deputies called a burial scene. The towel may have created a pocket of air within the wire grid, which can happen when fabric sags and holds a small void. That small detail likely mattered for survival. Rescuers did not waste a second once they heard the cry, and they lifted Koah out and to medical care with the time they had.

Missing infant found buried alive in South Carolina. Here’s how the baby’s doing https://t.co/4rEjpnJfIg

— Rock Hill Herald (@RHHerald) November 12, 2026

The location matters. The recovery happened roughly 50 yards from a home tied to the father’s family, linking the rescue site to the broader search area that stemmed from the initial custody report. That geographic tie gave deputies a logical place to focus. It also explains why teams could find subtle signs like disturbed soil. They were not sweeping a whole county. They were working a targeted patch of land near people and places connected to the case.

Why this rescue stands out—and what comes next

Deputies saved a baby who, by all reasonable odds, should not have survived underground for that long. That is the headline and the hope. Authorities also moved fast to arrest the adult last with the child and to consult with prosecutors on any further charges tied to the rescue. Officials often work on different tracks: save the life now, protect evidence next, and then build charges that match the facts and the law. That sequence fits common sense and public safety priorities.