Mother's boyfriend charged with alleged murder of Mildura toddler
The man accused of murdering Victorian toddler Nikki Francis-Coslovich has spent his first night behind bars, after her father was faced with the devastating task of identifying his daughter's 'bruised and beaten' body.
Mildura man John Torney, 31, briefly appeared in Mildura Magistrates' Court on Friday night charged with one count of murder.
The body of two-year-old Nikki was found in her Mildura home on Tuesday evening, hours after she was reported missing by her mother.
On Friday. the toddler's father Nick Coslovich had to muster the courage of identifying his little girl's body.
“Her forehead’s all bruised and beaten," he told News Corp.
“She looks like she’s gone 12 rounds with an actual boxer.
“Her chin looks like it has gravel rash; it’s like she’s been dragged through the place,” Mr Coslovich said.
It is believed an autopsy gave police the final pieces to the puzzle regarding the little one's death.
Torney is the boyfriend of the girl's mother.
He was remanded to appear at Mildura Magistrates' Court on December 15.
Nikki was found dead two hours after being reported missing. Photo: Supplied
Speaking in Melbourne after formally identifying his daughter's body on Friday, Nick Coslovich said he was struggling to come to terms with what had happened.
"I've pretty much moved past sadness; I'm trying to hold back rage," Mr Coslovich said.
“Everything I’ve been warning against is right there on her face — I’m so angry that my baby had to pay like that.”
The news comes after the father of the toddler, Nick Coslovich, claimed he had pleaded with authorities to remove his daughter from the care of her mother and mother's partner.
"It's a very tragic case, one that we do view as suspicious," Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said of the discovery of a dead two-year-old girl this week. Photo: Facebook.
Mr Coslovich reportedly sent a text message to a local support network worker asking for help to save the toddler, Nikki Francis-Coslovich, and his three other daughters.
He separated from his partner in February and said he had not seen Nikki or his three older children for about a month.
"All I know is that she was reported missing and she was found dead," he said.
John Tourney. Photo: Facebook
Nikki's mother Peta-Ann Francis. Photo: Facebook
Mr Coslovich was interviewed by police on Tuesday night and told them he had been trying to renegotiate care arrangements for the girls.
He said there was no history of violence in the home, though their mother had recently met a new boyfriend who he didn't know.
Morning news break – August 29
