A man has faced court charged with the murder of Victorian toddler Nikki Francis-Coslovich.

Mildura man John Torney, 31, briefly appeared in Mildura Magistrate’s Court for an out-of-sessions hearing on Friday night charged with one count of murder.

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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.

It is believed an autopsy gave police the final pieces to the puzzle regarding the tot’s death.

Torney is the boyfriend of the girl’s mother.

The girl’s father travelled from Mildura to Melbourne to formally identify her on Friday.

“I’ve pretty much moved past sadness, I’m trying to hold back rage,” Nick Coslovich told the Nine Network.

“I can’t even process half of what’s coming in at the moment.”

Torney has been remanded to appear in Mildura Magistrate’s court on December 15.