CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nikki Delamotte, a cleveland.com culture reporter whose passionate storytelling and kindness left an indelible mark on her community and newsroom, was found shot to death in a suspected homicide Monday in Wood County. She was 30 years old.

Delamotte, who contributed to Cleveland Scene before joining cleveland.com two years ago, and her uncle were found dead at the uncle’s trailer in Perrysburg Township, her mother confirmed.

Police in Perrysburg Township -- located approximately 10 miles southeast of Toledo -- confirmed late Monday that Delamotte and Robert J. Delamotte, 67, were found dead in the trailer. Police said earlier Monday they were investigating a homicide, but declined to offer any additional details.

Cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn said Delamotte was the “embodiment of kindness” and never failed to leave an impression on people. She also had a special ability to tap into pop culture trends.

“What I appreciated most were the unique perspectives she brought to brainstorm sessions -- her ability to make me see things I would not have considered otherwise,” Quinn said. “She had strong positions and backed down from no one, but she did so with gentleness and, always, respect. She was such a bright light, and Cleveland has a dimmer future for her loss.”

Delamotte, who attended Springfield High School in Holland and graduated from Cleveland State University, also worked previously at Allied Integrated Marketing in Cleveland.

Delamotte traveled to Wood County recently to reconnect with her father’s brother. She’d had little contact with her father’s family since her parents divorced years ago. But the recent death of her maternal grandmother, following a lengthy illness, made her reach out.

She drove out to Perrysburg Township last month and saw her uncle walking along the street. She stopped and talked with him, and they made plans to meet again to catch up Sunday, to watch the Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers football game at a bar, Delamotte’s mother, JoAnne Ullman, said.

Delamotte had also talked to coworkers about trying to get tickets to go with her uncle to an upcoming Bob Seger concert in Toledo.

Delamotte was at Ullman’s house before she headed to Perrysburg Township on Sunday. She planned to drive to a bar to watch football with her uncle, because she did not drink, Ullman said.

“So she was going go over and they were going go to some neighborhood bar and watch the game,” Ullman said.

Delamotte did not return to Cleveland on Sunday night. Someone familiar with her movements reached out to her mother on Facebook early Monday after not hearing from Delamotte.

Ullman, who said her daughter did not return a text message sent at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, called police to report her daughter missing. She said she arrived at the trailer park before police. Once officers arrived, they were able to get inside the trailer, she said.

They emerged moments later and told Ullman to back up, she said.

“I’m sorry to tell you they’re both dead and they both had gunshot wounds,” an officer told Ullman, she told cleveland.com.

Detectives took a statement from Ullman, who said she saw her daughter’s car parked outside the trailer, with her cellphone and wallet inside it.

Investigators from Perrysburg Township and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation were in the trailer park for several hours on Monday, collecting evidence from a search warrant signed by a municipal court judge. Neighbors said they did not hear any commotion coming from the trailer where police found the bodies, and that her uncle mostly kept to himself.

Delamotte had a knack for telling stories that highlighted Cleveland’s diversity, and took great pride in shining a light on important people and issues in the community, said Mike Norman, cleveland.com’s entertainment editor.

She viewed her last feature for cleveland.com, about La Plaza Supermarket expanding its in-store restaurant, as a success story for the local Latino community.

She was also proud of a recent story she wrote about mental health and addiction in Northeast Ohio's restaurant and service industries in the aftermath of the death of celebrity chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain.

“I’ve never met a journalist with a kinder heart,” Norman said.

She loved to tell stories about the underdog, and often gave a voice to lesser-known artists, musician and restaurant owners in Greater Cleveland. She RSVP’d to every Facebook event she got invited to, even if she couldn’t attend; she did that because she wanted to support artists their creative endeavors, said Kris Wernowsky, cleveland.com’s crime and courts editor.

“Her articles were the ones most shared by Cleveland creative folks on social media. And they were always fun to read because she took the time to learn and understand what she wrote about,” Wernowsky said. “Her natural curiosity and her love of everything artistic was evident in everything she wrote.”

Delamotte was beloved among her coworkers and in the community, but she was humble, reluctant to acknowledge the impact she had on others, her colleagues said.

In 2016, she was concerned no one would show up to the release party for her book, "100 Things to Do in Cleveland Before You Die,” at the Superelectric Pinball Parlor in Gordon Square. But the line of people who came to see her stretched out the door, said Troy Smith, an entertainment reporter for cleveland.com.

“Nikki was a rock star, only she didn't know. Or, maybe more accurate, she would never admit it,” Smith said. “So many people in the community knew and loved her. Yet she was so humble and accommodating to all people. “

The impact she had in the community was evident Monday as Cleveland organizations, artists and venues -- such as the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland Flea and Mahall’s -- reacted to her death.

We're learning the devastating news that @nikkidelamotte has passed... The entire Beachland family is in mourning of one of Northeast Ohio's brightest shining stars. Nikki was a tremendous asset to the NEO community & a valued friend. Spread ❤️to all you know today. RIP Nikki. — Beachland Ballroom (@BeachlandCLE) November 12, 2018

She cared deeply about her craft, as evidenced by her asking cleveland.com multimedia specialist David Petkiewicz for advice to improve her photography and pitching story ideas to her colleagues. She also cared deeply about the subjects and people she covered, said cleveland.com reporter Emily Bamforth.

“Nikki didn’t do anything she did for praise or accolades,” Bamforth said. “She wrote because she wanted to tell this community’s stories.”

Delamotte approached many of her stories with gentleness, but she was never afraid to stand up for herself and what she believed in, colleagues said. She had her own voice, and was not afraid to be heard, said cleveland.com web producer Mike Rose.

“Days in the office will definitely be a little dimmer without her here to brighten them up,” Rose said.

The same qualities that made Delamotte a cherished friend also helped her stand out as a reporter. She was a great listener, and had a personality that made anyone feel comfortable about opening up to her, cleveland.com entertainment reporter Anne Nickoloff said.

“I’ve never met anyone with as much empathy as Nikki, and I wanted to be more like her,” Nickoloff said. “I still want to be more like her.”

Delamotte loved animals, and cats in particular. She was always the first person to “like” cat photos that her colleagues posted on Facebook. She memorably served as a judge for cleveland.com’s “Cutest Cat” contest in 2017, arguing the merits of thousands of cat photographs sent in for consideration.

“When we reminded her we needed to pare it down to just 100 [cats], she would argue that they were all cute in their own way, and made the world a better place by just being,” said Brenda Cain, a member of cleveland.com’s Best Of team. “There was no getting around her that day.”

She was equally kind to her coworkers. When cleveland.com crime reporter Kaylee Remington had a surgery that left her hospitalized, Delamotte was among the first to visit her. She continued to check on Remington almost daily.

“She sat with me and I didn't have to speak at all. She brought stuffed animals and all things that would make me comfortable,” Remington said. “Her words: ‘Well, you look adorable in that hospital gown. I'm just saying.’”

Marc Bona, a cleveland.com features reporter, said Delamotte offered to buy a copy of his book “The Game Changer” even though she did not like sports. She just wanted to support a coworker, he said.

“The last email I received from her was an unsolicited comment a few days ago pulling out a line from a story I wrote, telling me it was her favorite part,” Bona said. “She did that all the time. That was Nikki.”

Cleveland.com reporters Eric Heisig and Courtney Astolfi contributed to this story.