I shook her and I slammed her down the ground and I slammed her down and I slammed her really hard. >> Okay. How many times? >> Twice maybe. >> Twice. >> When Detective Caleb was dispatched, the call came in as a routine medical emergency involving an injured child in Piqua, Miami County, Ohio. But the moment he reached the scene, something didn't sit right. And the closer he looked, the more the story began to [music] fall apart. >> Um, she has some bruising on her forehead. We don't know if that's from current or past injury. Pretty much unresponsive for us the whole way. So, we weren't sure if it was babysitter or if it was previous. Right. Yeah. So, >> babysitter said she didn't notice any bruise or she noticed a little bit of bruising before she laid her down. The whole forehead is is pretty swollen. >> As the child was transported to the hospital, detectives now had to determine who was responsible. Several people had access to the toddler that day, and any one of them could be hiding the truth. Then an unexpected development shifted the entire investigation. What follows is taken directly from police body camera footage, official reports, and recorded jail calls. Detective Caleb Mon arrives to assist on a welfare check after a babysitter reports a one-year-old who is breathing but unresponsive. Inside the Piqua EMS ambulance, he sees the child lying completely still. Paramedics note bruising on the toddler's forehead and swelling around the lips, [music] injuries they describe as potentially consistent with abuse. She was found lying on a blanket beside a bed frame before being transported to Upper Valley Medical Center and prepared for immediate transfer to Dayton Children's Hospital. >> Hello. >> Yes. >> Okay. Can you walk me through what happened? >> She's been He laid her down for a nap at like what 12:30ish? probably 11 >> 11 something. >> She's been sleeping. She's a restless baby. She didn't get her nap this morning. So, we laid her down because the other kids I watched were over stimulating her. They were being rowdy. I've been checking on her. I've checked on her like eight times and she was breathing and she was just laying there. Um cuz I sent a picture to her mom and I was like I said she's been in the same spot just asleeping. I didn't it's dark in there. I didn't even think anything was wrong. And then I >> regular for a nap for a long time. The babysitter tells the officers she checked on the child about eight times throughout the afternoon. At 2:40 p.m., she sent the mother a photo showing the toddler still lying in the same position. Around 3:10 p.m., she went in to wake the child up because the grandmother was on her way. That's when she realized something was wrong. The toddler wasn't responding. She called Michael first, then immediately dialed 911. >> Could you tell that she was still breathing? >> Yeah, she was breathing. >> She was breathing pretty normally. crying when you laid her down. I mean, >> I have serious anxiety about kids falling asleep when I'm around. So, I peek in on them, make sure they're breathing all the time. My own daughters and stuff. >> She's been really snotty and I'm wondering I don't know if she became esphixiated from not breathing right. >> Sure. >> She was laying on her back. She likes to lay on her belly. I don't know. She has a bruise on her head when she falls a lot. She's a stumbly toddler. >> Yeah. >> How long is today the first time you notice a bruise on her head? I mean, she always has, >> but those weren't there earlier. That's why I don't know. He said the kids were swinging stuff around. I mean, I checked my cameras. I was going to do that anyway, just to see. >> The man explains that his wife babysits several children. According to him, the kids were playing, moving around, and the infant seemed uncomfortable. He claims he took her into the bedroom to separate her from the others. >> I don't know if they would have hit her or something, but we don't really have anything heavy out there. Just kids. Did they look like newer bruises or kind of older? >> Bruises. They're purplish. >> Purplish. >> The woman adds that she turned on the light when checking on the baby. Normally, the toddler wakes easily and cries around people, but this time there was no response. The child also looked unusually pale. She also states she usually sends photos to the mother whenever the child injures herself, but isn't sure when these bruises appeared. >> Yeah, she was in there laying on the floor. I put her on the floor so that she doesn't fall and hit her head cuz like I said that baby is very restless. She moves a lot. >> Gotcha. Can you just show me where she was sleeping? >> Yeah. Just right here on these blankets. >> Okay. Start on the blankets. >> I have a little bed that I make for her. >> Um just like I said to keep her safe cuz that's my daughter's bed. >> Okay. >> And I don't put her on my bed cuz I don't want her to fall. And so when the kids were being rowdy, my husband said he brought her little bed in here. He text me I brought her bed in and laid her down and she was fine. She cried. She's not a big fan of him. She used to like him and then I don't know something. She doesn't like men all the time. >> Gotcha. >> The officer asks for the child's information, her name, date of birth, and whether the parents have been notified. The woman says they have. When he asks where the parents are, she explains that the child's father is all the way in Alabama. It's a small detail, but it quietly narrows the list of people who could have been involved today. Before stepping out, the officer confirms everyone's identity. When detective Caleb leaves the residence, he's immediately directed to Upper Valley Medical Center at the request of Pikwa Fire. Hospital staff give him a brief and the tone shifts. [music] They point out bruising on Vian's forehead and swelling around her lips. Injuries, they say, could align with abuse, not an accident. And that's the moment the case changes direction. Additional detectives arrive at the hospital and the investigation shifts from a medical call to something far more serious. At the hospital, detectives Kohler and Lieutenant Weber arrive as staff prepare the child for an urgent helicopter transfer to Dayton Children's Hospital. Kohler meets with Tori in a family conference room while Weber speaks separately with the nursing team. >> I don't know what happened to my baby. >> Okay. Um, what is your name? >> So, were you at work? >> I was at work. She was with the babysitter. >> What time did you go to work? >> At 5:30 a.m. >> You What's that? I drop her off at 5:30 a.m. I work at 6. >> Okay. So, you drop her off? >> Yes. At her centers? Yes. >> Tori tells Detective Coler she had been texting the babysitter throughout the day. At 2:40 p.m., she received a photo showing her daughter lying down appearing to be asleep. >> Does she have any other medical issues that you that you know of? Anything? >> She has a a lip tie and that's it. >> A lip tie? What's a lip tie? >> It's where like the skin that connects to your li your gum is like tight. Too tight. Okay. What about bruises or marks? Did she have any bruises or marks on her that you >> um She did. Hold on. I've got pictures from her from Thanksgiving. Like she had like see a little yellow one that was from Thanksgiving. Like this picture is yesterday >> that was taken yesterday. >> Yes. >> She also shows the detective the picture of the previous bruise before this incident. This is where the tone of the interview shifts. As Detective Kohler continues, he begins to learn more about the family dynamic and the child's unusual reactions around Michael Mayer. >> Okay. What about who's that Michael? >> That's her husband. >> That's her husband. How well do you know him? >> I went to high school with him. That's all I know. >> Okay. And as far as you like and you've never seen anything abnormal from whenever you picked >> does not like Mike at all. >> Not like Mike >> in the beginning. >> She did in the beginning and then she just does not like him. And now she cries when >> he walks in the room. >> Mike have any other kids? >> Yes. >> Okay. How many kids do they have? >> They have one together and they both have one from previous relationships of three total. >> Okay. Have you ever seen him get abusive with her? Like get too forceful with her at any time. >> No. >> No. >> Okay. The most violent I've ever seen, Mike was sneaking his daughter because his daughter was >> Detectives go over the day's timeline again, focusing on the child's interactions with Michael Mayor. They confirm that a photo sent earlier at 8:05 a.m. shows the toddler hiding from him. Kohler states they need to secure the camera system inside the babysitter's home to understand what happened, adding that they may head to the children's hospital once they finish collecting evidence. Tori asks them to please find out what caused her daughter's condition. >> Please find out what happened to my baby. >> At this point, detectives still don't know what happened or who was responsible. So, they prepare to return to Brianna Paige Abbott and Michael's home for another look. Officers arrive at the residence minutes after the child is transported to Dayton Children's Hospital. The body cam shows both Michael and an unidentified older man in a red hoodie waiting outside. They're invited inside. The atmosphere doesn't match the severity of what's happened. Michael and Brianna attempt small talk, trying to keep the interaction casual. Officers confirm the child has been transported to Dayton Children's Hospital. The babysitter, Brianna, describes the morning routine. She says the child arrives around 5:40 a.m. and usually sleeps on blankets in the living room due to anxiety and attachment issues. So, kind of just give me an idea of what your normal routine is throughout the day and like kind of what happened today. >> Um, they come. So, the baby comes at 5:40ish in the morning. >> Okay. >> Um, I lay her back down. She has like a bed of blankets because she is a very restless baby. She does not sleep well. Obviously, her mom knows that. We talk about it often. Um, and so I let her I lay her on the floor usually in my room, but she's got some anxiety about people and she has like attachment issues and I try to tell the kids don't touch the TV. But when I went out there the one time to check on her, she was laying down watching this Rachel and she waved at me and then they were just playing. What else did we do? Did you take No, I took the kids to school. You went to Home Depot, right? >> Was that this morning? >> Went to Home Depot earlier. >> Well, you went twice. Brianna claims she left at 10:00 a.m. for errands, leaving Michael alone with the victim and three other children. Michael says the victim was overstimulated, so he put her down around 11:00 a.m. for a nap and that she was breathing when he checked 15 minutes later. >> And I sat her she was crying when I set her down, which is normal. And I was kind of like like go to sleep, you know, and I turned the light off. I closed the door. I looked back in about 15 minutes later and if I could mimic it, she was laying like this and she just appeared asleep. And I looked at her. I could see her breathing. And I was like, you know, when you peek on your kid and you don't think they're asleep, then you see they're sleeping. So you're like, >> "Okay." >> So I just backed out of the room, closed the door. >> What time was that? >> That would have been 11ish. >> 11ish. >> Both deny knowing anything about injuries. Both say she's clumsy. Both begin repeating the same lines. The detectives shift the focus to the child's behavior. Brianna admits the victim hasn't liked Michael for months, crying when he enters the room, hiding her face from him. She used to like my husband. Now she doesn't. I don't know if it's like his beard. >> This information makes the detectives ask for the net view camera footage to verify the story. Brianna and Michael claim the cameras move on their own, go to sleep, and only save short clips. Nothing continuous. Everything has to be recorded manually. >> Hopefully, we can find a quicker way to watch it in real time. >> All we need is like from 8 in the morning. If you can get it from like 8:00 in the morning until 10:30. So that two and a half hours just to get that whole time frame. >> I'm curious if we can get a hold of you. >> With no solid footage, the detectives explain that a search warrant may still be needed. Lieutenant Weber mentions the severity of her injuries far beyond a routine fall. Brianna pushes back, insisting the child sometimes bumps her head without crying. As Detective Kohler sorts through the timeline, one detail stands out. Every time Michael speaks, [music] DK catches a faint smell of vomit. He doesn't ask whether Michael is sick or hung over. Not yet. DK hands Brianna his card and instructs her to send the video clips in segments. He tells her not to contact the child's mother for now. The officers collect the small mattress where the child was found unresponsive and exit the home. Before we continue, make sure to like and subscribe if you follow 911 cases, crime investigations, and real justice work. Your support helps keep these cases visible. >> Hello. >> Hi. >> Got an update from the hospital, so I wanted to come back and talk to you again. >> Okay. >> Okay. Am I good to come in? >> Yeah. >> They're behind the gate. Okay. Well, they seem friendly enough. >> The update is devastating. Doctors report a fractured occipital bone, a fractured right humorous, and a subdural hematoma. Injuries that require major force. Injuries that no child can walk, stand, or sleep off. The room falls silent as the reality settles in. >> So, I just got off the phone. When I got back to the office, I called the doctor. >> Mhm. a fractured occipital bone which is in the back of the skull. She's got a fractured humorus on her right arm and she has a subdural hematoma which is bleeding of the brain. [crying] I talked to them. I asked them specifically like is this an injury that I've seen her on video. >> Is this an injury that she would have been able to stand up interact with children? I said absolutely not. This is, as they described it, a complex, massive fracture. >> The detective doesn't soften the message. The child has very little brain activity. Her condition is critical. >> They said this is caused by a massive impact. >> I don't know if she's going to make it. Um, sounds like she has a little bit of brain activity, but not much. >> They said that she's got massive brain trauma. Lieutenant Weber shifts the conversation. Now is the time to clarify who was inside the house, who had access to the child, and the drinking habits of that individual. He tells Brianna [music] plainly, "One person was alone with this child. >> I'm not thinking that you had anything to do with it. Okay, but that leaves one person inside this house, right? >> What's your relationship? You've had some Does he drink a lot? >> Mhm. >> Does he drink during the day? >> Sometimes. >> We could smell alcohol on him yesterday. Pretty angry guy at times with his PTSD and all that. >> Um I mean not really. Like we when he drinks the liquor. Yes. But like other than that, he's not like an angry guy. He's actually kind of more patient than I am. >> So he's had some protection orders against him in the past. >> Brianna tries to explain his past. his ex, the protection order, the emotional fallout. She maintains he has never hurt her or the child, but the detective pushes back, referencing similar cases and the clear medical findings that rule out an accident. When asked what Michael said after detectives visited the day before, Brianna repeats his words. [music] Shock, concern, denial that anyone hurt the child. The detectives don't buy it. The evidence is already pointing in a different direction. What did he say last night after we left? >> He just was like, "I just can't believe this." Like, "I hope she's okay." Like he's been he was crying. We've been texting about it, you know? He was like, "This is just an unforeseen whatever incident, you know, like it's nothing nobody did, you know, like we would never hurt kids or anyone's kid or whatever, you know, like >> I wish I could, you know, I've known your dad for 25 years. If I was going to pull [ __ ] over your eyes, I would have done that. I'm not going to do that. He did it. And I think a lot of, like I said, has to do with alcohol in his past. >> We don't think he's a bad guy. We think he made a mistake. >> And that's when we talk to him, that's what we're going to tell him. We don't think he's a bad guy. >> They request video from inside the home. The goal is simple. verify Briana's timeline, confirm who entered the room, and establish exactly when the child stopped crying. Investigators need the 10:30 video clip to determine precisely who interacted with the baby and when. >> So, that video, >> we kind of need the video from 10:30 >> to show that you did come home. You were doing some care for the kids and stuff like that. Like, you were not like >> like you did something. >> Don't you pull my phone up? I'll let you talk. >> Michelle, I'm horrible with technology. >> I mean, I could scroll through it. I mean, >> there's audio on that video that you have. If you can pull it up and start playing from 10:30 and we can just sit here and listen. You'll probably hear something in that video. >> Well, see, and I tried. You don't hear anything. >> Before leaving, Weber warns Briana not to contact anyone outside law enforcement until the case progresses. Emotions are high and the window for misinformation is narrow. Detectives leave knowing they need the net view footage and one final conversation with the only person left unaccounted for. At 1759 hours, detectives [music] drive to Dayton. Based on the timeline, medical evidence, and new video leads, they agree on one conclusion. Michael Mayor is the primary suspect, the last adult with the child before she sustained catastrophic injuries. They find him at the City of Dayton division of waste collection. He is arrested for felonious assault and child endangering all together. Hey guys, Michael. At this point, you are under arrest. Okay? I want to talk to you about everything and we're going to do that right now. Okay? You're under arrest right now. Proud of you is going on. Okay? We're going to have these guys are going to take you back to DD and we're going to talk to you and explain everything that's going on. Okay? Your cooperation and you've been cooperative with us so far. >> So, your cooperation is going to go a long way. Okay? >> Okay. So, keep that in mind. While detectives are on route, Briana calls in a critical update. She has found a net view clip. In the recording, the child is screaming, followed by two loud impacts, then silence. The footage also shows the child crying only when Michael approaches, contradicting earlier assumptions about overstimulation from other children. In the interview room, Michael is read his Miranda rightites. He claims he's not a suspect, only a resident of the home. The detective immediately challenges that audio from inside the house places him alone with the child at the exact moment the injuries occurred. >> Okay. So, a lot of more evidence came out today. She's not doing well. >> She's not doing well. >> Do we have any idea what happened internally? Like what happened to her? >> That's what we need answers from you from. >> I don't understand why I'm even really a suspect besides that I live Listen to me for a second. There's evidence. You were the one that was at the house. >> Yes, I was. I said that. >> We talked to the doctors and we have a time frame and we also have audio from the house. So, right now, we need your cooperation so we can tell them what happened so the doctors can help her. And on the other side of this, it helps you, too. I don't think you're a bad person anymore. >> I think I know you've dealt with some PTSD in the past. >> I took her in the room and she was crying and I sat her down. When I looked back in there, probably going to guess it was 15 minutes later, she appeared to be asleep. >> Michael gives his first false story. Detectives know this is impossible. The medical team has already ruled out low impact explanations. The time frame is airtight. They confront him with the injuries. A major skull fracture, a fractured arm, and deep bruising. None of which match his story. The doctor said that takes major impact. That is a major impact fracture that does not happen by falling off of a bed. That doesn't happen. Listen, it is a significant trauma. >> Kohler explains the audio, the scream, the impacts, then sudden silence. The injuries happened in that room while Michael was the only person present. Detectives shift strategies. They present the two scenarios. Intentional abuse or a moment of explosive anger followed by panic. They tell him they don't believe he is a monster, but they need the truth. Slowly, Michael cracks. >> I shook her and I slammed her down on the ground. >> Okay. How would >> And it was on the carpet. But I It was on the carpet. I guarantee it was on the carpet. But I I lost my temper and I slammed her down and I slammed her really hard. >> Okay. How many times? >> Twice. Maybe. >> Twice. Okay. >> But I did shake her. I >> You did shook her. >> I shook her like not but I >> you know like >> Okay. What was she doing? Was she >> She was crying. >> Just crying. >> Okay. >> I threw her down. >> After you slammed her down, you threw her down again after that? >> No. After I threw her down, she she stopped crying and appeared to go to sleep. I didn't know that it hurt in that manner. >> You texted your wife at 11:43. I think something's wrong with Vivian. She's sleeping with one eye open and one eye closed. >> Yeah. I was That's when I started to be concerned. >> Okay. >> She said that's normal. So, I thought that, okay, well, that's normal. I feel like you guys should just let your parents in here beat me to death. It's what I deserve. My wife had nothing to do with it. >> My wife had nothing to do with it. She was completely unaware. >> Okay. Did you ever tell her anything that you did? Did you you didn't tell her that you >> She has no idea. >> She has no idea. >> I didn't want her to know. >> By the end of the interrogation, the details are clear. He slammed her twice. He shook her. He left her on the floor. And he told no one. The interview ends as officers arrived to take him to the Miami County Jail. Can't believe this is right now. >> This sucks. I'm not going to get to see my kids grow up. [sighs] >> I'm sorry. Do they get to hear this? I'm sorry if you guys get to hear this. If I did this, we won't have a day. On December 19th, 2024, just after midnight, the case takes its final and darkest turn. Lieutenant Christopher receives a call from coroner's investigator Craig Styiver. The toddler has been pronounced dead at Dayton Children's Hospital. Her death comes exactly 13 days after Michael Mayer described shaking her and slamming her onto the floor. An assault Dr. Lyer earlier stated left her immediately and permanently [music] incapacitated. There was no recovery, no chance. The injuries were simply too violent. Michael Mayer was formally charged with felonious assault and endangering children in August 5th, 2025. Was sentenced [music] to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years. He remained incarcerated at the Miami County Jail.