true crime

Nikki Francis-Coslovich's father breaks his silence on the crucial conversation he had with social workers before her death.

They found her with injuries like those seen in high-speed car crashes. She had repeated blows to her abdomen and chest. In several places her liver was split, and she had lost between one quarter and one third of her total blood volume.

The crown said the injuries were caused by repeated infliction of a clenched fist.

She was just two-years-old.

Nikki Francis-Coslovich died of horrific injuries.
By now we are all familiar with the story of little Nikki Francis-Coslovich.

The two-year-old found dead in the roof of her Mildura home on August 25 last year.

We are familiar with her violent death and the acquittal of her step-father a man who said he “loved her like he was her own.”

We are familiar with her upbringing, her grubby clothes, how she often went hungry, how social workers say her hair was always matted, that "Nikki crawled around on a floor splattered with cat faeces”.

But her own father, Nick Coslovic,h has been fairly silent about his daughter’s murder until now when he spoke out demanding justice for his two-year-old.

Nick Coslovich on A Current Affair. Via Nine.
His ex-partner, Nikki’s mother Peta-Ann Francis reported Nikki missing after she discovered her little girl’s bed was empty. She had been asleep after smoking marijuana and having sex with her then partner, John Clifford Torney.

The toddler had spent the morning at home with Torney while her mother ran errands.

Her body was discovered several hours later after a police officer noticed dirty fingerprints on a manhole cover in the hallway and climbed on a chair to investigate.

Torney was found not guilty of Nikki’s murder and was also acquitted of an alternative charge of manslaughter.

Speaking to A Current Affair last night, Nick Coslovich said that he repeatedly told the Victorian Department of Human Services that Nikki was living in an unsafe home in the weeks leading up to her death and that there were drugs in the house.

“I told that I heard he was a violent person and that he was staying in the house after he had said they weren’t living together. I told them.”

“She died alone, she had her daycare taken away, she had her dad taken away, she was locked in her room, spent a week of torment and died.”

It was revealed during the trial, that Torney and Peta-Ann would spend their days stoned and having sex. Peta-Ann was on the dole and found the constant 24-7 with Nikki “frustrating.”

They would shut her in her room as Peta-Ann often just wanted time to herself.

The Herald Sun reports that social workers organised for Nikki to go to childcare four days a week. But two weeks before her death she was inexplicably absent.

Torney would later tell detectives he and Peta-Ann felt that Nikki was being “pampered” there.

But Nick Coslovich has questioned why no one did more when she didn’t turn up.

Flags had been raised by child protection workers after Torney's violent criminal history was discovered, but Peta-Ann lied to them and told them he was not living there.

Despite the fears from Nick Coslovich child protection workers  decided there had been a “significant” improvement in Peta-Ann’s parenting with Torney on the scene and closed the files six weeks before she died.

While Torney has been found not guilty and there is no suggestion he had any involvement in Nikki’s death, police say they do not suspect Peta-Ann Nick Coslovich remains in limbo.

Her father described her as a "little girl that wouldn't hurt an ant.”
Nick Coslovich told A Current Affair that the worst part now was that he didn't know who murdered his daughter.

“I’ve got two heartaches, sort of, eating me at the same time,” Mr Coslovich said.

“One of them is my little girl's not here and the other is that somebody decided it was a good idea to be violent with a little girl that wouldn't hurt an ant.”