New details reveal what mother did before killing her daughter while attending cheerleading competition

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) — Newly released records have revealed details in the case of a Utah mother and her 11-year-old daughter found dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in February.

Tawnia McGeehan, 34, and her 11-year-old daughter, Addi Smith, were found dead in their room at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Feb. 15.

McGeehan and her daughter had traveled from Utah to Las Vegas on Feb. 13 to attend a cheerleading tournament where Addi was scheduled to compete with her team, Utah Xtreme Cheer.

After Addi failed to show up at the competition and family members could not reach her mother, officers conducted a welfare check at their hotel room at 11:44 a.m. Officers left after receiving no response at the door.

According to the Clark County coroner’s report, hotel security later entered the room to find a chair blocking the door with a handwritten note taped to it that said, “Call 911 before walking in. Two dead bodies and one is an 11-year-old.”

Both were pronounced dead at 7:15 p.m. The coroner’s office later ruled McGeehan’s death a suicide caused by a gunshot wound to the head.

According to the coroner’s report, investigators found additional notes that said Addi’s cell phone had been left open for photos and videos and indicated that the 11-year-old had been “very medicated” beforehand.

Detectives recovered multiple prescription medication bottles bearing McGeehan’s name, over-the-counter sleep aids, THC cannabis gummies, empty gabapentin capsules and a cup containing white residue in the trash.

A semi-automatic handgun was also recovered at the scene, according to the report.

Family members told investigators that McGeehan had suffered from severe depression and was experiencing significant distress over a prolonged custody battle with her ex-husband.

Court records show the pair had been locked in a custody battle since Addi was a toddler. McGeehan temporarily lost custody in 2020 over concerns regarding parental alienation and domestic conduct before reaching a joint custody agreement in 2024.