An Ohio man has been accused of seriously hurting a 15-month-old girl, leading to her death two weeks later.
According to police, Michael Mayor, 34, from Piqua, allegedly slammed the toddler, Vivian Gardner, on the floor on December 5 because she wouldn’t stop crying... Continue reading here ▶
The incident happened while a babysitter had left Mayor alone with the child and other kids to take some of them to school.
Emergency responders arrived at the babysitter’s location around 3:00 p.m. after receiving reports about an unresponsive toddler who was still breathing.
The babysitter told police that Vivian looked pale and had bruises on her head, but she didn’t know how the injuries happened. She said she had checked on Vivian several times during the day but became alarmed when the toddler didn’t wake up and wouldn’t respond.
Mayor, who was the last person with Vivian, admitted to police that he had hurt her. He said he became frustrated when she wouldn’t stop crying while he was trying to put her to sleep.
According to police reports, Mayor said he shook her and then slammed her on the floor multiple times until she stopped crying. He told police this was done on the hard floor, not on blankets. Afterward, he thought she had fallen asleep, so he left her on the floor and walked away.
Vivian was flown to Dayton Children’s Hospital, where doctors found she had a skull fracture at the back of her head and other severe injuries caused by a strong impact.
She also had a subdural hematoma, which is bleeding between the brain’s covering and its surface. Despite receiving medical care, Vivian died from her injuries on December 19, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
Before Vivian’s death, Mayor had been charged with felonious assault and child endangerment. As of now, no additional charges have been filed. He is being held in the Miami County Jail on a $1 million bond and is awaiting his next court date. It is unclear if he has a lawyer to represent him.
