The Omaha day care driver accused of causing the death of a 1-year-old girl by leaving her in a hot van for hours appeared in court for the first time Wednesday.

Ryan D. Williams, 62, appeared in front of Douglas County Court Judge Marcena Hendrix on Wednesday for a bail hearing. He faces one count of felony negligent child abuse resulting in death following the death of Ra’Miyah Worthington earlier this week.

Ra’Miyah was found unresponsive on the floor of a van owned by her day care provider, Kidz of the Future II Childcare Center, around 3 p.m. Monday. Further investigation showed that the girl had been left in the car for about five hours as the heat index approached 115 degrees. Williams was the driver of the van.

Prosecutors did not request a specific bail amount at the hearing, and Williams’ defense attorney requested for bail to be set at 10% of $20,000. Hendrix ordered Williams to be held on 10% of $50,000 bail, meaning he would have to pay $5,000 to be released.

Ra’Miyah’s parents, who were present at the hearing, were disappointed by the judge’s decision.

“We were hoping for a higher bond,” said Ra’Miyah’s mother, Sina Johnson. “We were hoping for no bond.”

According to an arrest affidavit, on Monday morning Williams picked up Ra’Miyah and two of her siblings from their residence and took them to the day care, located at 50th and Leavenworth Streets. Williams would pick up the children on a daily basis and drop them back at home in the afternoon.

When Williams arrived at the day care, according to the affidavit, he had about nine children in the van. He told police that he had been distracted by a young boy who did not want to go inside. Another staff member came to assist Williams and brought the boy inside.

About 10 a.m., Williams closed the van. He told police that he normally conducts a “sweep” to ensure that no one was left behind, but for reasons not made clear in the affidavit, that didn’t happen on Monday.

It wasn’t until Williams went back to the van to conduct his afternoon route — shortly before 3 p.m. — that Ra’Miyah was found. She was lying unresponsive on the back-seat floor of the van.

Williams picked Ra’Miyah up and ran into the day care center, where staff called 911. The girl was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to Nebraska Medical Center with CPR in progress.

Ra’Miyah’s body temperature was about 109 degrees when she arrived at the hospital. Johnson said her daughter’s cause of death was heatstroke.

The air temperature measured 96 degrees shortly before 3 p.m. Monday, according to National Weather Service data recorded at Eppley Airfield. The heat index was measured at 113 degrees.

Kidz of the Future II has been in operation at its current location since 2019, according to state records. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the center has been temporarily shut down as an investigation is conducted.

“The protection and well-being of children is of the highest priority (...) and we are working with law enforcement as they investigate this tragic death,” the department said in a statement. “In addition, an emergency order has been put in place temporarily closing the facility until further investigations can take place.”

Williams is scheduled to be back in court on Sept. 26 for a preliminary hearing.

Photos: Family, community members gather outside Kidz of the Future Il day care after death of one-year-old