The father of an 11-month-old boy who survived being buried alive in a dog crate for about 24 hours has been charged with attempted murder, US authorities say.

Koah Sharp, who was reported missing near the South Carolina capital city of Columbia, was released from a hospital on Tuesday night after his dramatic rescue.

The boy was expected to make a “full recovery” from his ordeal, Sheriff Jay Koon said.

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He survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel that was wrapped around the crate below ground, Koon said.

After a full day of searching by nearly 100 first responders, freshly disturbed soil was found in the bushland not far from the home of the boy’s grandfather — and cries were heard from below ground, the sheriff said.

“As you can imagine, the race was on. Everyone was trying to get him out,” Koon said.

Amber Hammond shows a photo of her great-nephew and his father, who has been arrested and charged. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP

Koah was soon freed and “clinging to life”.

“He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the baby world, I would guess,” Koon said.

Koah’s 25-year-old father, Michael Comer - who was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence - was arrested while hiding in a building in the town of Batesburg-Leesville, about a 40-minute drive from Columbia.

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He has been in custody since Monday when Koah disappeared.

Authorities haven’t revealed anything about Comer’s motive.

They said Koah had been in the care of Comer’s mother, who had to run an errand and left the boy in Comer’s care while another caregiver was on the way.

“By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone and Koah was gone with him,” the sheriff said.

Surveillance video from several businesses in the area showed Comer without the baby on Monday afternoon, Koon said.

Koah’s parents “have had some situations” regarding domestic violence charges, the sheriff said.

“Children,” he said, “sometimes get caught in the middle.”

Koah’s great-aunt, Amber Hammond, was watching as he was freed from the crate.

“We’re better now that we know that Koah is safe,” she told The Associated Press.

This photo provided by Amber Hammond shows Koah Sharp, 11 months old, at at his great-aunt's home in West Columbia, S.C., on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (Amber Hammond via AP) Credit: Amber Hammond/Amber Hammond via AP

Hammond said her nephew had talked about taking the baby to New York because “he didn’t want to be in the same state as the mom”.

When Koah vanished, she and others assumed Comer had given the boy to someone.

“We had no idea something like this would happen at all,” Hammond said.

Comer’s October sentencing was also related to aggravated breach-of-peace charges related to an arrest in July, Lexington County online court records show.

Prosecutors dropped a gun charge as part of a plea deal.

He also got credit for spending more than two months in jail.

Hammond, who cared for Koah last weekend, said he had been trying to stand on his own and already had some TV favourites.

“You can’t feed him and have Mickey Mouse on at the same time,” she said.

A court hearing is planned for Thursday.

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