Authorities in Utah report a tragic incident involving a mother who allegedly took the life of her 11-year-old daughter before committing suicide inside a Las Vegas hotel room. This event unfolds against the backdrop of a protracted custody dispute with her former husband, which began following their 2015 divorce, as indicated by court records.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police have yet to release the names of the mother and daughter discovered deceased at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Sunday. However, family members and court documents have identified them as 38-year-old Tawnia McGeehan and her daughter, Addi Smith.
Documents from the court, accessed by Fox News Digital, reveal that McGeehan and Addi’s father, Brad Smith, were embroiled in a nearly decade-long battle over custody. Judges had instituted specific rules for how and where the daughter should be exchanged between the parents, reflecting the contentious nature of their relationship.
According to previous court orders, during school terms, they were instructed to park five spaces apart for custody exchanges, with Addi walking the distance between the cars alone. When school was not in session, exchanges had to occur at 9 a.m. outside the Herriman Police Department. Additionally, the court prohibited them from recording these exchanges and mandated the use of a court-approved app for communication.
Eleven-year-old Addi had traveled to Las Vegas to participate in a national cheerleading competition before the tragic events at the Rio Hotel & Casino. Authorities have stated that the investigation into the incident is still underway. (GoFundMe)
In 2020, a judge temporarily revoked McGeehan’s custody rights after finding she had acted in ways that might estrange Addi from her father, according to information from Fox 5 Las Vegas. By 2024, the parents had managed to reach an agreement granting them joint legal and physical custody with alternating weeks of care.
The mother and daughter were in Las Vegas for a cheerleading competition when they failed to show up Sunday morning, prompting a welfare check, authorities said.
The New York Post also reported that McGeehan had recently been receiving “mean” text messages from other parents on her daughter’s Utah Xtreme Cheer team.
Connie McGeehan, Tawnia’s mother, told the outlet that her daughter had been having problems with “one or two” other mothers on the team and that tensions escalated about a month before the tragedy.
A wide view of the JAMZ Nationals cheerleading competition in Las Vegas, where a Utah mother and daughter were in town for the event before being found dead at a nearby hotel.
“In the last comp they had, another girl got dropped and some of the moms were saying it was because of Addi,” Connie McGeehan told The Post. “They were texting [Tawnia] mean stuff and blaming Addi.”
The Post cited a source close to the team who said there had been a recent “confrontation” between McGeehan and another mother in a waiting room. Utah Xtreme Cheer owner Kory Uyetake told the outlet he was aware of “comments back and forth” between McGeehan and some other parents but said everything appeared normal when the team traveled to Las Vegas.
One of the other cheer moms who spoke with Fox News Digital confirmed there had been tensions among some parents but said the focus now is on the children grieving.
She said her daughter has been taking the loss hard but plans to launch a mental health awareness and suicide prevention program at her school next year in honor of her friend.
LVMPD homicide Lt. Robert Price said officers were called to the hotel around 10:45 a.m. local time. After knocking and calling into the room for 15 to 20 minutes without a response, officers cleared the call.
Hotel security later received additional information from family and friends and returned to the room at approximately 2:30 p.m., where they entered and found both victims dead.
“The mother shot her daughter and then shot herself,” Price said at a Monday news conference. He said a note was left behind but declined to discuss its contents. The investigation remains ongoing.
The coroner ruled McGeehan’s cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head and listed the manner of death as suicide. Addi’s cause and manner of death remain pending.
A view of the Rio Hotel & Casino exterior and surrounding landscape in Las Vegas on Nov. 11, 2025. (Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service Via Getty Images)
Authorities have not released additional details about a possible motive. When contacted for further comment, Metro Police said they do not have any new updates.
Valerie Krystine Muniz, who identified herself on social media as Addi’s aunt and the sister of her father, urged people to stop speculating as the family grieves.
“We already see so much speculation going around so please help in just spreading love and prayers while my brother tries to pick up the pieces of what has happened,” Muniz wrote.
“I have never known a man to love and fight for his daughter like he has done all of Addi’s life,” she added. “The system failed him and her.”
Muniz did not elaborate.
Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, traveled to Las Vegas for a cheer competition before they were found dead inside a hotel room at the Rio Hotel & Casino. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are investigating the case. (FACEBOOK/ Tawnia Hope McGeehan)
A GoFundMe page created by a family member described the loss as “unimaginable,” saying the family is in “deep shock and grief” as they navigate the difficult days ahead.
Utah Xtreme Cheer, the club Addi was a member of, said it was “completely heartbroken.”
“With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away,” the organization said. “She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family.”
In a later update, the gym announced it would cancel all classes and open gym sessions for the remainder of the week.
Utah Cinderella, a pageant organization Addi participated in, also expressed sorrow, saying her “bright smile and kindness will never be forgotten.”
Utah Fusion All Stars, another cheer gym where Addi previously trained, said she “was absolutely loved” and would be remembered for the “light that she brought to her teams and to our gym.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Utah Xtreme Cheer for comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
