Dad's Chilling Text Before Burying Baby Alive in Dog Crate: Police

An 11 month old boy buried alive in the. woods behind his grandfather's house. And the man accused of putting him. there, his own father. But now that man, Michael Comer, is facing new charges. We're going to break it all down for you. right now. Welcome to Sidebar, presented. by Law & Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. Okay, we're back with an update in this. very very sad case. We covered it. yesterday. We kind of predicted what to. expect and it seems like it happened,

okay? You have this father, 25 year old. Michael Comer, accused of putting his 11. month old son in a dog crate, wrapping. it in a towel and burying him in the. woods behind his own father's house. And. now the Lexington County Sheriff's. Department has announced new charges, okay? We're going to get into what those. are. And we are also learning that Koa. Sharp is out of the hospital. He was. released November 10th. He is expected. to make a full recovery. He's back with.

his family. That's the good news. That's. the best part of any of this. That's the. silver lining in this awful awful story. Now the sheriff hasn't given a motive, but the newly released incident report. that we just got our hands on reveals. exactly what police say happened in the. days and hours before that baby went. missing. This is apparent suicide. threats, a bottle of pills, even angry. messages over an alleged OnlyFans. account. And Comer also made his first. court appearance today. We'll get into.

that. But in case you're just joining us. on this one, here's everything that we. know according to the Lexington County. Sheriff's Department. So when deputies. from the Lexington County Sheriff's. Department arrived at around 12:28 p.m., they spoke with Koa's grandmother, and. she told the deputy that Michael had. been staying with her for about four. days since he got out of jail. And she. said his phone had been turned off. because of unpaid bills, so he was using. her phone to communicate. She told the. deputy that Michael had messaged Koa's. mother the night before. The mother. deleted the messages before could read.

them, but Michael called the grandmother. and told her that he told Koa's mom that. she would have to call the police to get. her baby back. And he even reportedly. referenced that he was going to kill. himself. Now, the grandmother told the. deputy that Michael had said he wanted. to commit suicide because he couldn't be. with the mother. And he said he was. going to New York specifically, Gloversville, where friends would help. him and he could get a job. She said the. last time she saw him was around 5:45. that morning when she was getting ready. for work. When deputy spoke with Koa 's.

mother, she reportedly told him a. different part of the story. She. apparently said that she last saw Koa on. Friday when she gave the baby to. Michael. She expected him to keep the. baby for only a day or two while she was. at work, but she apparently told the. deputy they had been arguing over the. past week because she refused to delete. videos on her OnlyFans account and. refused to unfriend her other child's. father on Facebook. She said Michael. threatened her multiple times over. Facebook Messenger that he would keep. the baby and that police would have to.

find them. And she showed the deputies. the messages where Michael reportedly. wrote, quote, wait till January. It'll. be easier when you trust me. You'll have. one kid to worry about. And January is. going to be great. The report also notes. that when the grandmother gave deputies. permission to search her home, they. found a pill bottle of Clonopin on the. back porch. Now, when you look that up, it's basically apparently used to treat. anxiety disorders or seizures. Some say. it might help with mental health issues,

but the grandmother said it was full. when she left for work containing about. 30 pills and that Michael had taken. some. An empty beer can was next to it. And deputies learned something else. A. witness who had given Michael rides told. them that she steered clear of him. because he had previously tried to break. into her mother's house and had. threatened to shoot her mother and other. family members. She said he went to jail. for four or five months for pushing her. while she was holding Koa. And she said. he had only been out of jail for one or. two months. Koa was in the care of his.

grandmother on Monday, November 9th. She. left to go to work. She left Koa with. his father, Michael Comer, the. defendant, and then another caregiver. was supposed to come later that day. At. around 11:00 a.m., apparently a friend. stopped by the house to drop off. formula. Nobody answered the door. The. friend called the grandma. Grandma said. she felt like something didn't feel. right, leaves work, comes back home. She. gets there, and apparently Michael and. Koa were gone. She told deputies she. checked the camera footage from inside. the house. Apparently showed Michael.

walking through the kitchen and den area. at 8:30 a.m., but he didn't show up on. the neighbor's exterior camera, which. led her to believe he exited through the. back door and into the woods. She also. said he took all of the baby's. belongings, the clothes, two diaper. bags, a pack and play, a baby carrier. And she said the formula that the friend. dropped off at 11:30 was still sitting. there, which meant Michael had already. left before the friend arrived, and he. didn't have any baby formula with him. So deputies were called at around. lunchtime, and they went to the home of. Comer's father. This is on Parthenon.

Road. And they say they found the doors. wide open, the baby's belongings inside, no sign of Michael, no sign of Koa. And. by the way, Comer apparently didn't have. a car. The sheriff said he believed that. Comer was bumming rides. He was calling. people. He was getting from place to. place that way. But there was this. surveillance video that reportedly later. showed him at businesses in the. Batesburg-Leesville area that afternoon. alone.

No baby. Koa is not there. And also I'll. tell you there was no amber alert that. could be issued because according to the. sheriff, the department needs a vehicle. and a license plate. They had neither, so that's why there was no alert. And. according to the sheriff's post on. Facebook, quote, Koa was taken by his. father Michael Comer on Monday, November. 9th, 2026. According to investigators, investigators know that Comer traveled. to multiple locations within Lexington. County on Monday. However, Comer does. not have access to a vehicle. Comer was. arrested on a burglary charge late.

Monday night by Lexington County. deputies, but Koa was not with him. It. is imperative that Koa is located. immediately and placed back into the. custody of his caregivers. That's the. key there. Time is of the essence. Have. such a young child, you don't know where they are. Obviously, this was an incredibly. distressing moment, a desperate search. for this little boy, okay? Koa's mother was posting too. She wrote. this on Facebook that same day, quote, if anyone sees my baby Koa, 11 months.

old, let or police me know. His dad. Michael Comer has decided to kidnap him. Suppose that's not how police see it. I've been letting them visit on weekends. since he's been going to therapy and. stopped drinking. His dad decided though. it was time to get jealous over other. guys, so he pulled this on this. weekend's trip. Been gone since this. morning, known by police to have been in. Batesburg area. He's been seen at his. house as well as barnyard around 3:30. today. I've heard as well he is a harm. to himself as far as I've heard, so. possibly others. Now, these are claims.

that the mother is making and while. authorities have confirmed some of the. details about his movements, not. everything she's saying was confirmed. right now by them. But deputies, they. found Comer late Monday night at around. 10:30 p.m. in a shed that apparently. didn't belong to him. So he was arrested. initially on burglary and resisting. arrest. Again, Koa was not with him. By. the morning of November 10th, more than. 100 officers, firefighters, public. safety officials, they were searching. Sled, the FBI, ATF, Lexington County.

Fire Services, about 50 yards into the. woods discovery. This is behind the. house of Comer's father. These searchers. find fresh dirt and pine straw and. investigators started probing the ground. and that is when they heard crying. All. right, for anybody out there who runs a. business, manages a business, owns a. business, you don't need me to tell you. that running a business is tough enough, but I got to say, why make it harder doing things manually. or relying on dozens of apps that don't.

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Lexington County Sheriff Brian J. Coon. walked through everything during a press. conference. >> Just a few moments ago, we found little. Koa Sharp, 11 months old, buried alive, clinging to life, crying, the most. joyful sound you ever heard of a crying. baby, much like when your children were. born, but certainly. just up the street, buried in a what I. would call a dog crate, wrapped in a. towel that, by the grace of God, probably provided enough air for him to.

survive our estimation of the last 24. hours under that dirt. A search party. earlier today found a site not far from. Michael's father's house, probably about. 50 yd in the woods in the pine straw of. some freshly disturbed earth, dirt. We searched that. with our crime scenes tech, our crime. scenes sled and FBI folks, and as they. probed it and laid it out and started. digging, you could hear. little Koa crying. So as you imagine,

the race was on. Everybody's getting. down there trying to get him out. >> The sheriff said they believe that baby. was buried sometime between 9:00 in the. morning and noon on Monday. Said the. crate was 2ft by 2ft, wire slots open, top of the crate was about a foot below. the surface, and it is a miracle that. this baby. was alive. It is a miracle based on. those particular conditions. that he's able to make a recovery, that. he survived this. >> Strangely enough, the cold weather may.

have helped too with it you know kind of. the chill in the air and and not so hot. to to. if you know about the ability to have. air and and how quickly you breathe air. So a lot of things were going in Coah's. favor and the good Lord looked down on. him the last 24 hours and hopefully at. 11 months old he will not remember much. of this as he grows older just to have a. great inspiring story to tell. >> So that was the press conference. November 10th. Since then the sheriff's. department has released a fuller written.

statement on Facebook that lays out the. whole sequence, the names, the charges. all for the first time. It reads quote, Coah Sharp is alive and well after being. underground for around 24 hours. That in and of itself is just. frightening to think about. Quote, Michael Comer, 25 was arrested Monday. night and is charged with attempted. murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference and burglary. according to arrest warrants. More than. 100 law enforcement and public safety. officers came together to search for.

Coah, Coon said. We are thankful for the. joint effort of South Carolina Law. Enforcement Division, SLED, FBI, Columbia ATF, Columbia City of Case. Police Department, West Columbia Police. Department, Batesburg-Leesville Police. Department, County of Lexington, South. Carolina Fire Service, Lexington County. EMS, Lexington County Communication. Center, Batesburg-Leesville Fire. Department and Lexington County. Emergency Management in working to find.

Coah. Amazing how they got all those. agencies together. Goes on to say he. immediately was placed in the care of. EMS and transported to the hospital as. soon as they got him out. Coah was. released from the hospital Tuesday. night, again according to Coon. He is. with family members, and according to. information provided to investigators by. his medical team, he is expected to make. a full recovery. That is. the best news that you can possibly get. in a situation like this. And that. statement was the first time that the.

department confirmed the charges in. writing, and it was the first time they. confirmed that Coe was out of the. hospital and expected to recover. There. has been a GoFundMe that has been set up. for Coe's mother and the family. The. organizer wrote, "I'm raising funds for. my sister-in-law, Coe's mom, after an. unimaginable trauma. Her baby was. kidnapped by the child's father and was. later found alive, buried in a dog crate. and wrapped in a towel. Our family is. devastated by what happened and at the. same time deeply relieved that the baby.

is home. This fundraiser was started because so. many people on Facebook were asking how. they could help. Right now, Coe's mom is. pregnant with her second baby." Page. says the funds are going to help cover. unexpected expenses and Coe's needs. But I want to talk about the legal side. of all of this, particularly attempted. murder. Okay, I want to bring on. criminal defense attorney and civil. rights attorney Tyler Bailey to talk. about this. Um, Tyler, it's good to see. you. I got to say I'm not surprised that. she that he's been charged with.

attempted murder. We had on Professor. Marion Branchi yesterday. She said, be. on the lookout for attempted murder. Your take on this this new charge. >> Yeah, clearly it's this is a appropriate. charge for attempted murder. What else. was he trying to do when he buried an. infant in, you know, a dog crate. in in with a towel over it? It's clear. that the facts show that it looks like. he was intending to cause harm and death. to this poor newborn baby, and this is. appropriate charge that they charged him.

with. >> Is it just the alleged act itself that. they would need to show a jury jury? Is. there anything more we need to show you? Do we have to show you text messages? Do. we have to show you emails? Do we have. to show you. uh purchase supplies or Google history? Or is this one of those cases where the. very alleged act in it of itself, we. kind of talk about in the law, strict. liability. Very different, right? But. strict liability, it's just the act. itself. You don't have to show anything. else to prove liability. Is it the the.

idea here that if you just accept that. this happened, jury, you can clearly see. this is attempted murder. What other. what what what other avenue, what other. intent did he have here? >> If it was only that easy, any competent prosecutor is not going to. take. somebody's intent for granted, and. they're going to want to lay it on. pretty strong for a jury to leave no. room for doubt. And the defense would. likely try to attack it, say that it was. a shallow burial, right? Only 2 ft.

There was a towel that may have showed. that he was trying to provide some care. for the newborn. So I don't think that. it's the very fact in in of itself. Most. people you you would assume would see. this and come to a conclusion that this. was specific intent for attempted. murder, but the prosecutors cannot take. that for granted. They need to cover all. their bases, cross all their t's, dot. all their i's, and not take anything for. granted that that a jury would see it. like they see it because who knows what. angle the defense will take.

>> Let let me just jump on that for a. second. You don't think that a defense. attorney would make the argument, well, it was cool temperatures, there was a. there was a towel there, the child was. able to breathe, you know, I mean, because let's be clear, and yes, he's innocent unless proven. guilty. It's a miracle this child's. alive. It's a miracle that you know, investigators were able to rush over, see evidence of a of a burial, hear this.

boy crying, screaming, and because of the condition that he was. in, I mean, certain again, those certain. specific factors allowed him to live. But it just seems to me, I mean, you. think a defense attorney would say, well, you know, he he placed him in such. a way that, of course, you know, he he. knew he'd be okay. Um, and it wasn't like, and by the way, it would be a different kind of case. also if he was like, well, you know, he. came back and picked him up an hour. later. 24 hours. 24 hours. It wasn't as.

if, like I'm thinking like, you know, if there was a situation where. two spouses or partners are fighting and. you hide the child as a way to scare the. other partner, but you know, you're. going to take the the baby. Again, I'm. I'm kind of going off the rails here. because I can't imagine any of that. would actually work. >> Well, first it's nothing but the grace. of God that the child is alive and and. it's just think about this. It's a. newborn baby uh buried in rural areas. outside Lexington County where.

Batesburg-Leesville is. is is a miracle that the child was found. and found alive. And. you never know some defense lawyers come. up with some outlandish arguments in. trying to uh present their case the best. they can uh for their client. The. accused here, I don't think that would. be the best idea for them to look at. into. First course, they're probably. going to look at his mental state, right? To try to say maybe he didn't. have the competency. I mean, he was. insane. You you already hear his mother. making some statements about him. So in. short, Jesse, do I think a defense. lawyer would lead with that? No, but I.

do not see the state taking it lightly. on Michael Kohberger here. They're going. to want to send the message of. protecting a newborn baby. And so who. knows what position his defense lawyer, whether it's the public defender's. office or a private lawyer, will have to. take. >> And there's and there's going to be very. very difficult for him to suggest it was. somebody else that did this. I mean, just to go to the Lexington County. Sheriff Jay Koon said Kohberger was in. the care of Kohberger's mother. She left. Kohberger with Kohberger to run an. errand while another caregiver was.

coming over. When the caregiver got. there, Kohberger was gone and Kohberger. was with him. And also it was alleged. that, you know, Kohberger when he was um. uh apprehended, he didn't say where his. son was. That's the allegation, too. >> The circumstantial evidence points to. nobody but him. He was the last uh. person seen with his son. Um and then he. he's there's video evidence shown that. he's shopping in other areas without his. child and he's found hiding in the shed. without the child. So it looks like.

clearly that he was the last person with. his son and he buried his son alive with. the intent with the intent to try to. kill him. So I don't it it would be. really hard for them to point the finger. at somebody else here uh because all. signs point towards him. >> Now he's charged right now according to. the sheriff's office, attempted murder, unlawful conduct toward a child, custodial interference, and burglary. I. mentioned this in our episode yesterday. For a prosecutor, because attempted.

murder, no matter what the case is, can. be um sometimes the most difficult. charge to prove in terms of intent. Do you have these other charges on the. table not as um placeholder charges but. just in case, right? In case the jury. for whatever reason um you know cannot. come to a consensus on whether this was. attempted murder murder, a father trying. to kill. his child, those other charges and you. know they could they're kind of charges. based on separate alleged acts. Do you.

have that also just in case that the. jury uh. is deadlocked or can't come to decision. or finds him not guilty on attempted. murder? >> Absolutely. That's the reason why. But. the prosecutor's office, they're not. going to say that's the reason why. they're charging him with everything in. the kitchen sink. It's to make sure that. if he committed the crime and the. elements of the crime are there, then he. can stand to face those charges. So. they're not going to see something and. not charge for it. Clearly he went. there, right? And took the child. Um he.

went inside the dwelling with intent to. commit felony with custodial. interference, taking his child. That's. the burglary. Uh the custodial. interference, taking the child from the. I believe the grandparents who looked. like they had custody. Uh that so that. there was evidence of that charge. And. then the specific intent for the murder. I mean the attempted murder is the. hardest part of the case. So if anything. they want some fail safes there, uh that. make sure there's some justice and. accountability at the end of the day if. they can't get a unanimous jury verdict. on some of the harder charges.

>> Now, I might be jumping it a little bit. but you would also agree, I'd imagine, at this point in time based on the. current fact pattern laid out by. authorities and I'm sure the defense. would dispute it, a mental health defense would be hard, right? Because there is an element and. based on purely what we're seeing here, you know, a conscious decision, right? This idea of, you know, if someone. wasn't in the right mind but yet you're. being asked about where. uh your child is and allegedly putting. them in the crate, burying them in this.

specific property behind uh the. grandfather's house. I mean, do you. think cuz that would be the if I tell. this story to people and I said, let me. tell you about the story about a father. is accused of burying their 11-month-old. boy, I'm sure a lot of people say, well, person couldn't have been in their right. mind. I mean, that's people try to. rationalize how that could happen. But. you tell me that would potentially be. difficult, right? Like an insanity type. defense. >> It would be very difficult because if. you look about at the effort that he did.

to bury the child with finding a dog. crate, that's a small dog crate, putting. the 11 uh month old child in the crate. with a towel, burying the child and. leaving, that seems like he there was. some thought and effort um some. intentional thought and effort on how he. committed the crime. So I I could see. them trying to make that defense and it. seems like his mother in her statement. said that he's diagnosed with. schizophrenia. Uh she mentioned that his. last crime he was due to intoxication.

It's kind of odd that these may be the. custodial people have custodial rights. over the child but they also are. essentially looking like throwing a. narrative out there to protect their. son. Long story short, I think it would. be really hard for them to prove that he. cannot committed this crime because he. didn't have the mental records to do it. when he took that effort in outlining. how he buried his son. >> I I his criminal record um his past. How. does that factor into this? Because one. of the things, and again, we don't know.

what the motive would be behind this. alleged crime. But when you look at the. apparent relationship and you see the. previous charges on his record and you. hear what the mother has had to say, and. look, that's her narrative of it, would would it surprise you to see. something like this in a domestic. dispute where someone would allegedly. harm their own child as a way to. potentially punish the partner, potentially punish the boyfriend, the.

girlfriend, the wife? I mean, do you the. the husband? Do you see that in a lot of. cases? And again, I don't know the. circumstances of this. He is innocent. unless proven guilty, but would that. surprise you if that's what turns out to. be the situation? >> It would not surprise me one bit. Often. times in domestic situations when, you. know, emotions are high, there could be. a turbulent history that you could have. one spouse or partner who uses the child. to get at another spouse or partner. And.

we don't know the situation currently. between Michael Kohberger and the. mother, why the grandparents had the. custodial rights over the child, and the. proximity that seems that Michael had. with his grandparents to retrieve his. son after pleading guilty to some some. domestic related charges and having a. gun charge dropped. It seems like to me. that there's some gap in the system. where what was truly in the best. interest of the child. We don't know the. mother's situation, but it seemed like. the child was in a in a precarious place.

and Michael his his father had access to. him. and this happened. So I I could see. there being some motive. We we don't. know what comes out that this could be. as a way to hurt the mother. Who knows? Maybe even get at his parents. who have the custodial rights. It just. there's a lot of. questions that we need answers for. >> So yeah, so NBC New York. posted something interesting that John. Kohberger, I believe this is uh Coomer's. father,

uh indicated that he feels he was taken. advantage of. by his son because that when he needed a. place to stay, but he also said that. he's actually grateful because. that would have because he could have. gone somewhere else and they wouldn't. have found his grandson. And he actually. said it just seems like he already had. this planned out and he knew what he was. doing and he took the opportunity to do. what he did and if it hadn't been here, I don't think anybody would have known. where he would have went and this would. be a completely different story. That's.

a really interesting way to look at it. >> It's an interesting way to look at it. I. mean the father saying it seems clear. that he had a plan. The mother is saying. that he has diagnosed schizophrenia. It. seems like. uh. they dropped the ball here in protecting. the grant their grandchild if you if you. ask me. But it's an interesting take. I. mean we're happy that the the child was. found and the found alive and uh you. know angels and and were looking out for. the child, but um I I don't think that. absolves uh the grandparents here on.

what they probably should have. or any parent, right? You want to. protect an 11-month child. If you feel. like somebody's a danger or risk to the. child, you should probably keep them. away from it. I'm not blaming the. grandparents here, right? But it seems. to me that they may have known their son. some, right? And what his propensity was. and there could have been a better job. and I hear his take, um but I I I just. it's I think this was an unavoidable um. this was an unavoidable incident and it. happened. It should not have happened.

and I think the system really needs to. look at what's in the best interest of. this child moving forward and who has. custody of the child. >> Let me ask you this. It's difficult to even talk about this. case. It's difficult to even think about. it without even seeing any of the crime. scene photos um you know and trying to. learn you know this boy being evaluated. and what he went through. I would imagine prosecutors would be. keen to try to avoid a trial and expose. jurors and expose the family to all. this, but what kind of deal.

could be worked out? I mean I don't. think, I mean, would they ever take attempted. murder off the table in a situation like. this? >> I don't think it gets taken off the. table unless they find in discovery does. some reports of of things that really. cut at the intent. So I don't see this. really being anything where the Lexa. County solicitor's office is going to be. have an appetite for anything less than. maybe attempted murder. I can't see him pleading guilty to the.

burglary and custodial interference and. then leaving up the the plea to the. judge regarding the sentencing with no. agreement on a negotiated plea for the. amount of time for the penalty. That. could be an option, but I just don't. think that would. allow the public to feel, right, that. this is the state looking out for. children and sending a message. And I. think that's where it makes it really. complicated for a plea deal to be worked. out without attempted murder being on.

the table. >> Look, the end of the day, the most. important thing is. this boy survived. This boy is going to. hopefully make a a full recovery. It is. a miracle. It is a miracle that he's. alive because you and I both cover so. many cases. where this wouldn't be the end result. And you know, there's a legal process. that has to go through. We'll see what the evidence is. We. already hear the narrative put forward. by authorities. I'll be curious to see. what kind of defense. Comer puts forward. And yes, there are allegations, but you.

know, I think he's in a really, really. tough position based on what we see. right now. You're talking about. the most defenseless of the defenseless. and the most vulnerable of the. vulnerable. So. it's a really difficult case. Thank you so much for taking the time, Tyler Bailey. Always appreciate you. >> Anytime. >> That's all we have for you right now. here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so. much for joining us. I 'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time.