Baby buried in shallow grave is found alive

FAIRFAX, S.C. - A newborn baby was found clinging to life hours after it was buried in a shallow grave just outside the town's trash dump.

Police got a call for help Friday morning and found the little boy about two hours later, said Police Chief John R. Sullivan. He said he believed the infant had been buried for at least four hours before rescuers pulled him from the ground.

''The Lord was looking out for him,'' Sullivan said.

A nursing supervisor at Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia wouldn't release any details about the boy's condition Saturday.

The baby was found under buried under about 3 inches of dirt and lime, Sullivan said. As the dirt was pulled away from the baby, an emergency services worker noticed a pulse. ''That was a shock,'' Sullivan said.

He said the recovery effort initially was hampered because a suspect would not cooperate.

''We finally got cooperation from the mother,'' Sullivan said. He would not say if she was the suspect or identify her or the child. He also would not say who placed the call for help.

No arrests had been made Saturday afternoon.

Fairfax is a town of about 2,300, about 75 miles south of Columbia.