CARY, N.C. -- The family of Nancy Cooper, a Cary woman found slain at a construction site, now has custody of her two young daughters, after filing an emergency petition to take the children from her husband.

“This decision was not made with malice or any intent other than support of the children,” Cooper’s mother, Donna Rentz said Thursday.

Cooper’s father and sister argued that her husband, Bradley Cooper, was having an affair, is emotionally unstable and posed a danger to the children. A judge granted the request Wednesday.

“I think that what my understanding of children’s needs is that you create stability and warmth and an expectancy that when I wake up in the morning, I’ll have breakfast and I will know where I am, I’ll know where I’m going,” Cooper’s father, Garry Rentz, explained. “So you try to create that comfort cocoon around them, predictability, and I think if we can stabilize things for them, they’ll be fine.”

Nancy Cooper was found Monday less than 3 miles from her home. Brad Cooper has told police his 34-year-old wife went jogging Saturday morning and never returned.

Authorities have not named Brad Cooper a suspect and had no updates Thursday on their investigation. Cooper's attorneys have said he is devastated by his wife's death and will continue to assist police as they investigate.

But Nancy Cooper’s family painted a different picture of Brad Cooper in the custody hearing on Wednesday. Court documents show the Rentz family said Brad Cooper attempted suicide multiple times, once as a teenager and then again as late as this past winter.

The documents also revealed that the Rentz family does not believe Nancy Cooper ever went jogging that morning as Brad Cooper has claimed.

Cary police Chief Pat Bazemore said the custody battle was a civil matter and not part of the investigation. She said it was not initiated by the Cary Police Department, but she also said she felt this murder was an isolated incident. There is no suspect or person of interest in the case yet.

“I think it is an act of extreme cowardice to take a life, to rob a family of a member, to rob children of a mother,” Garry Rentz said. “I guess what I would say is, if you have a shred of decency, come forward, own up to your behavior.”

“I think it’s very selfish how someone could even fathom taking such a beautiful person from this planet. It’s unbelievably selfish,” added Cooper’s twin sister, Krista Lister.

The Rentz family honored Nancy Cooper’s memory during Thursday’s news conference, describing her as a good-natured person who loved her children, had a passion for running and an eye for fashion.

“I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I'm a twin,” Lister said. “I have a bond with Nancy that no one in the world has. All I have to do to remember her is still look in the mirror and continue to talk to her as I always have.”

The family also thanked the Cary Police Department and the Town of Cary for its help in the search when Cooper went missing and for its support since her body was found Monday.

“Everyone in the community from the police department to Nancy's friends, their love for Nancy is apparent in everything they say and everything they do,” Donna Rentz said.

“I certainly wouldn't worry about Cary,” Garry Rentz added when asked about violence in the United States. “This is a wonderful place. We've never felt a moment of concern down here.”

Cooper’s family plans to take part in a candlelight vigil on Friday. People who want to remember Cooper are encouraged to come, and Chief Bazemore also told people they could tie a white ribbon around their mailbox or around a tree in their yard to show support for the Cooper family.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.