Officials say the child suffered severe hypothermia and frostbite but is stable at an Indianapolis hospital.
GREENFIELD, Ind. — Greenfield police arrested 20-year-old Logan Nickolas after officers found his toddler outside at the Prairie Meadows apartments on Monday afternoon wearing only a diaper as the air temperature hovered near 13 degrees.
The case drew a rapid response from police, firefighters and medics who warmed the child and started treatment before a transfer to a children’s hospital. Investigators said the child’s core temperature measured about 93 degrees and that frostbite was present on fingers and toes. Prosecutors are reviewing reports for formal charges while detectives work to verify how long the child was outdoors and what conditions inside the apartment may have contributed. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office jail log listed Nickolas in custody on two preliminary counts of neglect of a dependent.
Dispatchers took a 911 call around 3 p.m. reporting a small child outside in the snow at the complex off Switchgrass Drive. An officer placed the child into a warm patrol car while Greenfield Fire Territory paramedics prepared transport. Footprints in fresh snow guided officers to a second-floor unit with its door open. Inside, officers announced themselves and found a man asleep on a couch. After waking, Nickolas told police the child lived there, according to a department summary. Neighbors said the child looked cold and unsteady but responded when wrapped in a blanket.
Officers reported seeing suspected drugs and paraphernalia in plain view. A handgun sat on a counter, according to a description contained in police paperwork reviewed by local outlets. Nickolas denied drug use and said he fell asleep, based on a probable cause narrative described in media accounts. The child’s mother told investigators she was at work and had tried calling. She said the man had been staying at her home on and off during the past week, according to the same court summary. Detectives are checking whether building cameras captured the child’s path through the complex before the 911 call.
Doctors pronounced the child in stable condition after initial treatment but continued to evaluate injuries from the cold. Pediatric specialists said the priority was raising core temperature and assessing circulation in the small areas affected by frostbite. City officials said first responders have handled a series of cold-weather calls this month. The Prairie Meadows complex sits west of downtown near U.S. 40, where drifting snow and single-digit wind chills have challenged emergency crews during afternoon and evening hours.
Nickolas was booked into the Hancock County Jail on preliminary counts of neglect causing bodily injury, a Level 5 felony, and neglect by endangerment, a Level 6 felony. An initial hearing opened Tuesday in Hancock Circuit Court, according to local court listings. The prosecutor will decide on formal charges after reviewing police narratives, medical charts and any lab testing of suspected narcotics. The Indiana Department of Child Services opened a related assessment as standard procedure and will coordinate with investigators on placement decisions. Police said more charges are possible pending results of evidence testing.
Residents at the complex described a quick, orderly scene. One said officers moved with urgency while keeping the child calm. Another recalled seeing the tiny trail of prints in powdery snow up the stairwell and across a breezeway. “You could tell the officers were focused on getting the little one warm,” a neighbor said. Investigators thanked the caller who spotted the child and said they would return to canvass buildings for witnesses who might have seen the child earlier in the day.
By Wednesday, Nickolas remained in jail awaiting a decision on formal charges and a full probable cause filing. Police said the child was stable in pediatric care in Indianapolis while frostbite injuries were monitored. Detectives planned additional interviews and evidence submissions through the week.
Author note: Last updated December 17, 2025.