An Indian taxi driver was remanded in custody on Tuesday over the killing of Indian toddler Gurshan Singh, as the boy's mother voiced her anguish at losing her "beautiful boy".
Gursewak Dhillon, who is charged with manslaughter by criminal negligence, did not apply for bail at Melbourne Magistrates' Court and will appear again on June 29.
Police have alleged that 23-year-old Dhillon, one of six adults who shared a Melbourne home with the Singh family, dumped the boy's body near the city's airport on Thursday.
Details of how the boy died have not been revealed but police have accused Dhillon of placing the alive but unconscious child in the boot of his car and driving around for three hours before disposing of the body.
Dhillon's court appearance came as the boy's mother, Harpreet Kaur Channa, described her heartbreak over her son's death.
"Our son was a beautiful boy and he was very loved and he is still in the front of our eyes," she wrote in a letter to the Herald Sun newspaper.
"Up to this point our grief has been so bad, so deep, so beyond explanation.
"We want to thank the Australian people for their support and the Victoria Police for (making an arrest) so fast."
"Up to this point our grief has been so bad, so deep, so beyond explanation.
"We want to thank the Australian people for their support and the Victoria Police for (making an arrest) so fast."
Gurshan went missing on Thursday afternoon while his mother was taking a shower and his father was at the library. His body was found 20 kilometres (12 miles) away about six hours later by a council worker.