In the USA, father buried a child in a dog carrier. But it survived after spending a day underground

As the boy's grandfather John Comer told the Associated Press, the child named Koa Sharp was found on Tuesday in a wooded area on a neighboring plot. The little one was crying and covered in dirt. Soon after he was dug up, he calmed down, and when he was placed in the back of a truck, he even managed to sit up on his own.

The grandfather said that out of joy, he raised his hands to the sky, jumped, and thanked God, and then fell to his knees and cried.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon reported after visiting the hospital that, according to doctors' forecasts, the boy would fully recover. He was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday evening.

The child's father, 25-year-old Michael Comer, was charged with attempted murder. Since Monday, when the boy disappeared, the man had been in custody. He was arrested while hiding in one of the buildings in Batesburg-Leesville. A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday. Authorities have not yet released information about possible motives for the act.

Dozens of rescuers and emergency service personnel participated in the search for the boy. After a full day of searching, they noticed recently disturbed earth and heard a child's cry from beneath it. According to the sheriff, rescuers understood that time was of the essence, so they hurried to extract the child as quickly as possible. When the boy was freed from the carrier, according to Koon, he was barely clinging to life.

The sheriff believes that the child's survival was aided by the cool weather and the air pocket created by a towel wrapped around the buried carrier. The boy's great-aunt, Amber Hammond, who witnessed the rescue, said the family felt relieved knowing that Koa was now safe.

According to authorities, before the incident, the boy was under the care of Michael Comer's mother. She left the child with her son while she was away on errands and waiting for another babysitter to arrive. However, by the time she returned, Michael was already gone — he had taken Koa with him. Surveillance camera recordings at several local establishments showed that the man was seen without the child on Monday afternoon.

John Comer recounted that on Monday, he hosted his son and grandson, as Michael had asked for permission to stay with him. Now the grandfather believes that his son exploited his kindness, but at the same time is grateful that he agreed to help: if they had gone elsewhere, the boy might not have been found in time.

According to John Comer, it all looked as if his son had planned his actions in advance and taken advantage of a convenient moment. If Michael hadn't been at his house, relatives wouldn't even have guessed where he might have gone.

Amber Hammond reported that her nephew had previously spoken of his intention to take the child to New York, as he did not want to live in the same state as the boy's mother. When Koa disappeared, relatives initially assumed that Michael might have handed him over to someone else. They couldn't imagine that something like this would happen.

The sheriff noted that there were certain problems between the boy's parents, and children in such situations often become hostages of circumstances.

According to Lexington County court documents, in October, Michael Comer received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach of peace. The incident occurred in July. As part of a plea agreement, charges of unlawful handling of a weapon were dropped, and over two months spent in custody were credited towards his sentence.

Amber Hammond, who cared for Koa last weekend, said that the boy was already trying to stand on his own feet and loved Mickey Mouse cartoons very much.

Koa's grandfather noted that he had never heard his grandson cry before. All the time before his disappearance, he was a cheerful child and often smiled.

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