A Utah mother shot and killed her 11-year-old daughter before taking her own life inside a Las Vegas hotel room after they failed to appear for a scheduled cheerleading event, authorities said Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.
The bodies of Tawnia McGeehan, 38, and her daughter Addi Smith were found Sunday afternoon at the Rio Hotel & Casino along with a suicide note, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Investigators believe the shootings happened late Saturday night.
McGeehan and Addi had traveled from West Jordan, Utah, to Las Vegas for a Utah Xtreme Cheer competition. When they did not appear on Sunday morning, the cheer organization contacted police and reported them missing.
Utah Xtreme Cheer posted an urgent alert early Sunday stating that one of their athletes and her mother had disappeared and never showed up at the competition.
Police officers and hotel security first responded to the room at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday for a welfare check. They knocked repeatedly and called out their names, but received no reply. After 15 to 20 minutes, they left.
Hotel security returned around 2:30 p.m. after family members insisted the room be checked again. When no one answered, staff entered and discovered the bodies.
Detectives recovered a note but did not disclose what it said. Lt. Robert Price told reporters no nearby guests recalled hearing gunshots or any disturbance. “It is a sad and tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family,” Price said.
After authorities confirmed the deaths, Utah Xtreme Cheer shared a heartfelt message honoring the young athlete. “We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice,” the team said.
The deaths occurred amid years of intense custody disputes between McGeehan and Addi’s father, Bradley Smith. Court filings show the pair divorced in 2015 and spent nine years locked in contentious legal fights over their daughter.
Their conflict was so severe that judges imposed strict guidelines for custody exchanges. A May 2024 ruling required the parents to park five spaces apart, with Addi walking between the vehicles alone.
When school was out, handovers were required to take place outside the Herriman Police Department in Utah at 9 a.m. on Mondays. Both parents were barred from recording exchanges and from approaching each other at school events.
Records show 350 filings related to the divorce and custody dispute, most of which were sealed. The judge cautioned both parents against speaking negatively about each other around Addi and ordered them to communicate through the Family Wizard app.
The court also required scheduled FaceTime calls on Tuesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m., with each parent allotted a 15‑minute window to place the call or lose the opportunity. Texting was allowed only in emergencies involving Addi.
Bradley Smith was granted sole custody in December 2020 after the couple previously shared custody. Court documents show Smith owed $9,600 in back child support as of February 2024 and was required to pay McGeehan $288 per month.
Smith married his second wife, McKennly, in 2020, and she often referred to Addi as “my daughter” online.
In earlier court rulings, a judge found that McGeehan engaged in behavior “on the spectrum of parental alienation” and determined she “has committed domestic abuse in the presence of the minor child.”
Smith once posted his former wedding ring for sale on Facebook in August 2016, pointedly noting in the listing: “I only wore the ring for a year.”
The mother and daughter were last seen alive at about 8 p.m. on Feb. 14 at their hotel. Authorities initially stated they were staying at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino, but the bodies were ultimately found at the Rio on the 3700 block of West Flamingo Road near South Valley View Boulevard.
Police confirmed the pair were in Las Vegas specifically for the cheer competition. Homicide detectives are still investigating, but no clear motive has been established for the murder-suicide.
If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts or a mental health emergency, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
