An 11-month-old baby has been rescued in South Carolina after officials say he was buried alive in a crate by his father.

Koah Sharpe had been missing since Monday when he was taken by his father, Michael Comer, 25, according to the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. Comer was arrested on a burglary charge on Monday evening but his son was not with him.

The baby was found on Tuesday "buried alive" and "clinging to life" not far from his father's house, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said at a news conference. It is thought he had been there for 24 hours.

The child is now in hospital receiving care, Koon said, adding he was hopeful he would make a full recovery.

Police are still deciding what further charges to bring against the father.

The search for baby Koah began on Monday after his father took him from his mother's house.

Comer's mother was watching the child and had left her son alone with him briefly, Koon said, when he left abruptly with Koah.

Comer was seen travelling to multiple locations without the baby and was later arrested in Lexington County without Koah. A search party of 100 police and fire department officials were then sent to search for the child, the sheriff said.

He added that when they asked Comer where his son was, he "did not have much to say" about his whereabouts.

Koon said that rescuers searched the woods near Comer's father's house and saw some "freshly disturbed dirt". As they began to dig, they heard a baby crying - something the sheriff described as "the most joyful sound you ever heard".

"The race was on. Everybody was getting down there trying to get him out," Koon added.

He said the crate was wrapped in a towel that probably provided enough air for Koah to survive for as long as he did, while the cold weather kept him from getting too hot.

"The crate was, probably, I'm guessing about a two-foot [61cm] by two-foot dog crate. So, I think, once that crate hit the ground, he was probably up at least a foot from the top of that crate to the top of the ground," Koon explained.

Of the parents relationship, the sheriff said there were "obviously some issues". Comer had previously pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges, court records show.

Comer's mother, Patricia Comer, told NBC News that Koah's mother had full custody of him but allowed her to supervise while her son watched him. She said her son had watched the baby before unsupervised without any problems.

"Honestly, I'm his mother, and I never expected this from him," Patricia Comer said.