A Utah mother gave her 11-year-old daughter a combination of prescription drugs before fatally shooting her and taking her own life, according to newly released toxicology findings.
Tawnia McGeehan, 34, and her daughter, Addilyn Smith, were found dead from gunshot wounds at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Police had been asked to conduct a welfare check in February while the pair was in the city for Smith’s cheerleading competition.
Toxicology reports released recently indicate that both McGeehan and Smith had taken multiple medications before the shooting.
According to autopsy documents from the Clark County coroner obtained by News 3, Smith had quetiapine, an antipsychotic; gabapentin, an anticonvulsant; lorazepam, an anxiety medication; and diphenhydramine, an antihistamine, in her system when she died.
McGeehan’s report showed the same substances, along with eszopiclone or zopiclone, a prescription sedative; citalopram or escitalopram, an antidepressant; and cannabinoids.
Caffeine was also reportedly detected in both toxicology reports.
Investigators said McGeehan shot her daughter in the head after the medications had been taken, then used the gun to kill herself.
Handwritten notes discovered in the hotel room said the child had been “very medicated” shortly before her death, according to the coroner’s investigative report.
