Johnston County father accused of killing his 14-month-old’s aunt, Sheriff’s Office says
Johnston County authorities have charged a man with murder in a Sunday night shooting in Smithfield.
Sheriff’s deputies sent to a home on Bear Oak Drive at 9:23 p.m. found 44-year-old Emily Christine Steinhoff fatally shot, the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Dorian Thomas, 50, was arrested and charged with murder at the scene.
Steinhoff had come to the home with her sister to pick up her sister’s 14-month-old child, who had spent the weekend with Thomas, his father, the release stated.
During a custody exchange, Thomas produced a firearm and fired a single shot at Steinhoff, the Sheriff’s Office said.
He is being held in the Johnston County Detention Center without bail. The investigation remains ongoing with no additional details released.
The N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence has recorded 14 homicides related to domestic violence in 2024, according to its website.
We will update this story as we get more information.
