20-month-old girl found dead in grandfather’s apartment while he’s 200 miles away

A California grandfather has been arrested after a 20-month-old girl was found dead in his Modesto apartment while he was being treated for an unknown ailment at a Bakersfield medical facility 200 miles away.

Bryan Hicks, 42, was the little girl’s guardian, Modesto police said.

According to police, officers went to Hicks’s apartment Tuesday morning for a welfare check after family member reported hearing that Hicks was at a medical facility outside the Modesto area and they did not know where the child was.

How do you protect your children from predators? Join Nancy Grace and a team of world-class experts for the online course ‘Justice Nation: Crime Stops Here’.

Officers found the girl dead inside the apartment. The cause of death has yet to be determined, police said, but officers saw “obvious signs of neglect.”

Hicks has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and child abuse, police said. He was returned to Stanislaus County from Bakersfield Wednesday evening.

According to jail records, bail has been set at $150,000.

No other details were provided.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast:

Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most – your children.

[Featured image: Bryan Hicks/Modesto Police Department]