The grief-stricken mother of toddler Gurshan Singh Channa has asked for Australians to pray for her to have another baby.
Gurshan's body was found by a council worker in grass in Melbourne's north on the evening of Thursday, March 4, six hours after he was reported missing.
Speaking on SBS Radio's Punjabi program his mother, Harpreet Kaur Channa, pleaded for Australians to pray for her to replace her boy.
"Our families are supporting us. They keep saying that we'll have another baby soon," she said.
"Please pray for me, that I have another child so Gurshan comes back."
Mrs Channa said she was horrified by her boy's death.
"How could the perpetrator not think that he was making such a small child the victim of such a big crime? How could he inflict such a painful death to my child? How would my child have borne that terrible death?" she said.
"May God punish the person who perpetrated such a heinous crime."
Mrs Channa sobbed as she described the last time she heard her boy.
"When I went into the shower, he was knocking on the door. Maybe he wanted to say, 'Mum don't go'," she said.
Mrs Channa said her son was a happy boy who was developing quickly and loved Melbourne, even though he was scheduled to leave Australia for India with his parents the weekend after he disappeared.
"Gurshan loved Melbourne. Whenever I asked him about India, he would say 'I want to stay here'. He got along so well with everyone at home (in Melbourne)," she said.
"He had called his grandmother (in India), just a few hours before he went missing that day.
"He's close to my mother since he's stayed with them a lot in India, and he said on the phone 'I'm coming to India in an aeroplane soon'".
Mrs Channa said she remained numbed by the tragedy.
"You can well imagine what's going through a mother's mind who has just lost a child. I don't know how I feel, I can't even think about myself," she said.
"My husband is putting a strong facade, just to support me. I know he is completely shattered from within, but he is putting up a strong front for my sake.
"Gurshan was very close to his father. My husband loved him so, so much. I used to be busy with studies, so my husband used to spend most time with our child."
Gursewak Dhillon, 23, has been charged with manslaughter by criminal negligence.
He appeared briefly in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and has been remanded in custody to reappear on June 29.
An autopsy has not revealed the cause of death and police are still awaiting the results of toxicology tests.
Dhillon, who shared the Lalor home with Gurshan's parents and others, allegedly placed Gurshan unconscious but alive in the boot of his car, driving around for at least three hours and dumping the boy without checking if he was still alive.
Police have not said how they believe Gurshan was rendered unconscious.
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