SNELLVILLE, GA – Vivian Rankins, a 67-year-old director at the Sunshine Child Learning Center in Gwinnett County, has been taken into custody by Snellville Police on charges of second-degree child cruelty. The alleged incident, involving a four-year-old boy, was captured on the daycare’s surveillance cameras on September 8.
The boy’s mother, Samerramise Gibson, was alerted to the situation by another parent who had witnessed the incident. Gibson, who was at work when she received the alarming text message, immediately reached out to the other parent to understand what had transpired with her son. The parent recounted a disturbing scene where Rankins was seen violently shaking Gibson’s son.
Still in shock, Gibson picked up her son from the daycare later that day and asked him about the incident. The boy responded that Rankins had hurt his arm. Over the weekend, Gibson spoke to other parents and daycare staff to gather more information about the incident. However, she found the accounts to be inconsistent.
On the following Monday, Gibson planned to confront Rankins, but the director was not present. Rankins was also absent on Tuesday and Wednesday. Determined to get answers, Gibson took a day off work on Thursday to ensure she could meet Rankins. She demanded to see the surveillance footage from the day of the incident.
After some initial resistance, Rankins finally agreed to show Gibson the video. Gibson recorded the footage on her phone, which showed her son and another child on the floor behind Rankins in an office. Gibson confirmed that the child in the yellow shirt was her son and described the video as showing Rankins grabbing and shaking her son.
After viewing the footage, Gibson contacted the Snellville Police. Rankins was arrested later that day and released on bond early Friday morning. Attempts to reach Rankins for comment have been unsuccessful, and the daycare has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.