'An angel on earth:' Arts supporter, mom killed while helping sister with custody issue

Emily Christine Steinhoff, 44, died Sunday night, allegedly shot in the course of a custody dispute between her sister and former partner.

Steinhoff was an enthusiastic supporter of the performing arts, a regular volunteer at Raleigh Little Theatre and the mother of a young son, Miles.

"That woman is truly an angel on earth," said friend Qualia Holder-Cozart.

When told that Steinhoff died helping her sister, Holder-Cozart said, "That's the type of person that she was."

Holder-Cozart says Steinhoff loved her family deeply; that they always came first.

"Everyone around her. anyone that she lays hands on, anyone she chooses to love, she's willing to sacrifice and give everything for."

Steinhoff and her sister, Hillary Lombardi, had gone together to pick up Lombardi's 14-month-old daughter from the child's father, where she had spent the weekend.

Neighbors told WRAL News that Dorian Thomas, 50, had only lived at the home for about a year.

Now he is being held at at the Johnston County Detention center without bond, charged with Steinhoff's murder. Authorities say that during the custody exchange, he fired a single shot. It hit and killed Steinhoff.

"It feels like I lost a sibling," Holder-Cozart said.

She met Steinhoff through acting and they became close friends.

Michele Weathers, executive producer of Raleigh Little Theatre, said Steinhoff "just radiated."

"She was kind, generous, smiling, always," she said.

Weathers says Steinhoff served in the Army, was a lawyer and a nurse, and she remembered her bringing son Miles to theatre rehearsals.

"She loved her son. She loved Miles," Weathers said. "She exposed him to every facet of life."

Holder-Cozart says Steinhoff had mentioned custody issues between her sister and the child's father, and that Thomas made her uneasy.

"Emily is very sensitive to people and things, so if something makes her uncomfortable, she's usually right," Holder-Cozart said.

A GoFundMe has been started to help support Steinhoff's family. If you're interested in donating, visit GoFundMe.com.