Mother believed to have killed daughter in Las Vegas hotel tragedy: police

A Utah mother and her 11-year-old daughter were found dead inside a room at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Addi Smith, a member of Utah Xtreme Cheer, had journeyed to the city with her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, for a cheerleading competition.

But on the morning of February 15, 2026, alarm was raised when both failed to attend a scheduled team meeting. The cheer squad reported Addi missing and called for a welfare check.

Officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department attended the hotel but said they did not have sufficient grounds to force entry when no one answered the door.

Hours later, security staff entered the room and found both mother and daughter dead. A note was also discovered, although police have not disclosed its contents.

Investigators believe that McGeehan shot her daughter on Saturday night before turning the gun on herself. The investigation remains ongoing.

Court documents, reported by The New York Post and Fox 5, show McGeehan had been locked in a bitter custody dispute with her former husband, Brad Smith, for several years following their divorce. The former couple was eventually granted split custody under strict conditions.

Records cited by Fox 5 allege she temporarily lost custody in 2020 after a court ruled she had acted in a way that could alienate her daughter from her father.

By 2024, the former couple had been granted a joint custody on a week-on, week-off basis. Police inquiries still continue.