Man fatally slammed toddler against floor, Ohio officials say. He’s sentenced
_fitted.png "One-year-old Vivian Gardner died after Ohio officials say a man slammed her on the floor for crying.")
An Ohio man was sentenced to prison after officials say he killed a 1-year-old girl in his care.
Michael Mayor, 34, pleaded guilty to murder in June, according to court records.
Contact information for Mayor’s attorney was not immediately available.
The charge stems from an incident in December in Piqua.
On Dec. 5, a babysitter left 1-year-old Vivian Gardner with Mayor as she went to drop other kids off at school, WHIO reported.
When she got back, Vivian seemed to be sleeping on the bedroom floor. However, after checking on her multiple times throughout the day, the babysitter was concerned when Vivian hadn’t woken up by 3 p.m., the outlet reported.
The babysitter called 911 after finding bruising on Vivian’s face and noticing shallow breathing, Miami Valley Today reported. Vivian was taken to a hospital and died Dec. 19.
During an interview with police, Mayor said he took Vivian to the bedroom for a nap and she wouldn’t stop crying, according to the Dayton Daily News. He told officers he shook her and began slamming her on the floor, the outlet reported.
“He stated this was not done on the blankets and he did this several times until she stopped crying,” the police report said, according to WHIO.
Vivian had a skull fracture, a brain bleed and other “complex” injuries from a “massive impact,” doctors said, according to the outlet.
During a court hearing, Vivian’s mother told a judge that Mayor “should never know another day of freedom” and Mayor said he would trade places with Vivian if he could, the Dayton Daily News reported.
Vivian had “piercing blue eyes, bright orange hair and (a) toothy grin,” her obituary said.
“She was a bright, sustaining light in an otherwise cold world,” the obituary said. “Our girl was a fighter, with a strong heart and an even stronger will… there was no way but Vivi’s way.”
On Aug. 5, Mayor was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
Piqua is about a 70-mile drive northwest from Columbus.
This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Man fatally slammed toddler against floor, Ohio officials say. He’s sentenced."
