An 11-month-old baby boy who officials said was taken by his father on Monday was found buried alive in a dog crate Tuesday, a discovery a South Carolina sheriff called “joyful.”

Koah Sharpe was found alive in a dog crate wrapped in a towel, Lexington County Sheriff Bryan Koon told reporters.

“That, by the grace of God, probably provided enough air for him to survive — our estimation is, for the last 24 hours under that dirt,” he said.

Koah, described as a 20-pound boy with reddish hair and who had a pacifier, was taken by his father, Michael Comer, on Monday morning, the sheriff’s office said.

The crate was found around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Koon said, near the home of Comer’s father.

Comer was arrested late Monday in Lexington County on a burglary charge after he was found in an outbuilding.…