Infant found alive in buried dog crate in South Carolina; father arrested

An 11-month-old boy who authorities say was taken by his father was found alive Tuesday afternoon inside a dog crate buried in a wooded area of Lexington County, South Carolina, according to reports from ABC13 Houston and other ABC-owned stations.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said at a Tuesday press briefing that investigators believe the child had been underground for about 24 hours, according to the ABC stations. The sheriff said the boy was wrapped in a towel inside the crate and covered with a shallow layer of dirt. He said he believes the towel helped form an air pocket.

The search started Monday afternoon, ABC7 New York reported. According to the sheriff, the child's mother had left him with his father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, at her home while she ran an errand. When another caregiver arrived at the house, the father and the baby were no longer there, Koon said.

Deputies found Comer late Monday night in an outbuilding at a house in the Batesburg-Leesville area, but the child was not with him, according to the sheriff. Koon said Comer offered little information at that time about where the baby was.

Nearly 100 first responders then took part in the search, ABC11 reported. On Tuesday afternoon, searchers working near the home of Comer's father noticed recently disturbed soil roughly 50 yards into the woods, the sheriff said. As they began probing and digging, they heard the baby crying.

"As you imagine, the race was on, everybody's getting down there trying to get him out," Koon said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The boy was taken to a hospital for treatment. The sheriff said he is hopeful the child will recover fully.

Comer was initially arrested on charges of burglary and resisting arrest, according to the sheriff. Koon said his office is working with the local solicitor's office to determine whether additional charges will be filed. The reports did not say whether Comer has an attorney or has entered a plea. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

"We want to thank everybody and just celebrate the fact today that an 11-month-old baby is alive," Koon said, as reported by ABC13 Houston.

All four outlets carried the same account, and none reported details beyond those provided by the sheriff's office.

Compiled by True News from reporting by ABC13 Houston, ABC7 New York, ABC7 Los Angeles and ABC11. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/964