CLEVELAND -- There's a void that now exists inside the Advance Ohio newsroom.
Earlier this week, Cleveland.com culture reporter Nikki Delamotte was found fatally shot to death in Wood County.
Readers of Delamotte's work and followers on social media knew Delamotte for her passionate storytelling. And so did her co-workers. But they also knew the "feisty" 30-year-old for so much more.
"When I left Cleveland last year, I left for a year to go to [Washington] D.C., she was the one who brought me a cake. it was in the shape of a hamburger -- it was a giant hamburger because I'm the fast food writer," Cleveland.com reporter Joey Morona remembers. "It was just such a sweet message I got from her."
Morona's last interaction with Delamotte came last Friday, when she checked to see how he was doing after a reader left a nasty comment on one of his articles. Morona was fine -- those type of things don't bother him. But they bothered Delamotte, who was known around the newsroom just as much for her personality as she was her way with words.
"First and foremost, Nikki was a friend. I met her before she started working at Cleveland.com," said Troy L. Smith, an entertainment reporter at the website. "She was just a sweetheart. We did Facebook Live coverage together, we went to concerts together, we road tripped to New York City for the Rock Hall ceremony last year. She just had a way of looking at everything with such innocence and a fresh view. She was so passionate about people and animals.
"As cynical as you could be, Nikki was always there to balance it out."
That compassion showed up in her work, including her book "100 Things to Do in Cleveland Before You Die," which was published in 2016. Between her time at Cleveland.com and previously, Cleveland Scene, she developed a reputation for highlighting the city's diversity and giving a voice to those who otherwise may not have one.
While Delamotte's colleagues -- and many more -- will miss her, they also remain confident her legacy will live on through her work.
"This was a woman who had already accomplished so much," Smith said. "Google her. You'll see articles, national articles, unexpected articles that she wrote. She had so much more to give. I want people to know that if you didn't know Nikki, you can get to know her through her stories and the passion and care she had."