Missing 11-Month-Old Baby Found Alive After Being Buried For 24 Hours: "God Is Good"

An 11-month-old boy who went missing after being taken by his father was rescued alive after being buried inside a dog crate in a wooded area in South Carolina, US. The infant is believed to have spent nearly 24 hours buried under the ground before rescuers found him during an extensive search, CNN reported. The baby, identified as Koah Sharpe, was discovered on Tuesday afternoon, wrapped in a towel and placed inside a wire dog crate buried under nearly a foot of dirt. Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said the child was in a critical condition when he was found but was still alive and crying.

"Certainly God ⁠is good. Just a few moments ago, we ​found little Koah, 11 ‌months old, ‌buried alive, clinging to life, crying – the most joyful ‌sound you ever heard of a crying baby," Sheriff Jay Koon said. 

The rescue came after nearly 100 law enforcement officers and emergency personnel joined the search for the missing infant. Investigators reportedly found freshly disturbed soil in the woods, around 45 metres from the house of the baby's paternal grandfather.

As rescuers began digging, they heard Koah crying from inside the buried crate. They immediately rushed to free him and took him to a hospital for treatment. Sheriff Koon said the towel wrapped around the crate may have allowed enough air to reach the baby, helping him survive the ordeal.

According to investigators, Koah went missing on Monday while he was in the care of his paternal grandmother. His father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, had arrived at the house and was looking after the child when the grandmother stepped out for an errand. However, when another caregiver arrived to take over, both Comer and the baby were missing.

The family alerted authorities, prompting an urgent search. Investigators later found the doors of a house belonging to Comer's father open, with the baby's belongings inside, but there was no sign of either the infant or his father.

Authorities also examined surveillance footage that showed Comer at several locations without the baby as the search continued.

Comer was eventually found in an outbuilding at a property in Batesburg on Monday night and arrested on charges of burglary and resisting arrest. However, the infant was not with him. The search continued through Tuesday, with investigators eventually locating the disturbed soil that led them to the buried crate.

Sheriff Koon said authorities were working with prosecutors to determine whether Comer would face additional charges. The investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Koah remains hospitalised, with officials hoping he will recover. "We want to thank everybody and celebrate the fact today that an 11-month-old baby is alive," Koon said.