Nikki Delamotte
photo credit: Jacqueline Bon

Ohio arts journalist Nikki Delamotte dead in suspected homicide

Ohio arts and culture reporter Nikki Delamotte was found dead in Perrysburg Township, Ohio, Cleveland.com reports. Her mother JoAnne Ullman confirmed Nikki’s death, along with that of her uncle, Robert J. Delamotte. Both were found with gunshot wounds, and local police told Cleveland.com they were investigating the deaths as suspected homicides.

UPDATE: Investigators have ruled the deaths a murder suicide.

More from Cleveland.com:

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

Nikki contributed to local news, culture and entertainment sites Cleveland Scene and Freshwater Cleveland, and joined Cleveland.com as a reporter two years ago. She loved and often covered music, especially Cleveland bands who she was especially proud of.

Signals Midwest was her favorite:

Check out her 2017 lists of “Cleveland bands you need to know” and “29 new Cleveland music releases you need to hear.”

She interned at and then often wrote about the lineups of Cleveland’s Ingenuity Fest.

Music venue Beachland Ballroom paid their respects on twitter:

She was 30 at the time of her death.

Cleveland.com entertainment reporter Troy Smith called Nikki “a rock star, only she didn’t know. Or, maybe more accurate, she would never admit it.” Cleveland Scene posted their own tribute to Nikki, writing, “she was curious and kind, an exceedingly talented and natural storyteller brimming with empathy that shone through in the stories that she told and in the friendships and relationships she built. She said yes, to new experiences, to new people, to new places, to new stories, to every single dog and cat, and in doing so became an intrinsic and universally beloved part of our lives. She was special, and the clearest way to confirm that was how she made everyone she came in contact with feel that way about themselves.”

Melanie Hersh of Music Saves and former owner of Re/Dress Rachel Kacenjar set up a GoFundMe for memorial services for Nikki, and the care of her mother, boyfriend, and cats. A candlelight vigil is being held on Thursday (11/15), and an in-person fundraiser on Friday (11/16).