Missing baby rescued after being buried alive in a dog crate in South Carolina

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A missing 11-month-old infant was rescued Tuesday after being buried alive in a dog crate in South Carolina.

A county sheriff says little Koah Sharp had been underground for about 24 hours but survived, likely due to an air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the crate. Cool temperatures may also have helped.

Dozens of first responders combed the countryside for the "bright boy with reddish blond hair" that the sheriff's office said had disappeared while his grandmother ran errands.

After a full day of searching, authorities found freshly disturbed soil in the woods not far from the home of the boy's grandfather. They began digging and soon unearthed the baby, who was "clinging to life," the sheriff said.

"Certainly, God is good," Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said at a news conference, not long after Koah was found. "He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the baby world, I would guess."

A photo provided by the Lexington County Sheriff's office in Lexington, S.C., shows Michael Comer in custody after his son was found buried alive. (Lexington County Sheriff's Office/The Associated Press)

The child's father, Michael Comer, 25, was arrested and was being held without bond on a burglary charge, Koon said. Investigators were working with prosecutors to confirm further charges, he said.

Koah, who disappeared Monday in the county just west of Columbia, was taken to a hospital. His condition was not immediately known Wednesday.

"We're better now that we know that Koah is safe," his great aunt, Amber Hammond, told The Associated Press in an interview. She was watching as he was freed from the crate.

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