opinion

Sanaya Sahib's mother Sofina Nikat to face court over toddler's alleged murder.

A Melbourne mother who police say has confessed to killing her 14-month-old daughter is due in court again today after being charged with murder last night.

Sofina Nikat, 22, was remanded in custody after being charged with murdering her daughter Sanaya Sahib.

The out-of-sessions court hearing was told Nikat confessed during an interview with police earlier that day, but has yet to enter a formal plea in court.

She will face Melbourne Magistrates Court today.

Nikat had previously told police an African man with no shoes knocked her to the ground and snatched the toddler while they were at Olympic Park in Heidelberg West on Saturday.

It sparked a huge search of the area by police and volunteers.

The girl’s body was found partially submerged in nearby Darebin Creek in the early hours of Sunday morning by a local family who had once lost a child and wanted to assist in the search.

Locals have been leaving flowers and tributes near the scene, which is less than a kilometre away from Northland shopping centre, a major hub in the city’s north-east.

It is understood much of Nikat’s family live in Fiji.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.

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