Posted on: February 16, 2026, 04:24h.
Last updated on: February 16, 2026, 06:06h.
- A mother shot her preteen daughter before ending her own life Saturday night, police say
- The Salt Lake City pair missed a cheer competition in Las Vegas, prompting a welfare check.
- Police found a note in their Rio hotel room but haven’t shared its details
A mother and daughter were found dead inside a room at the Rio in Las Vegas on Sunday, in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), Tawnia McGeehan shot and killed her preteen daughter, Addi Smith, before turning the gun on herself on Saturday night. The two Salt Lake City residents were staying at the Rio while in town to attend a cheer competition on Sunday morning.
When neither showed up at the competition, concerned friends and family members asked police to conduct a welfare check. At 9:45 a.m. Sunday, officers knocked on their hotel door and announced themselves for more than 15 minutes, but received no response. Feeling they didn’t have enough information to force an entry, they notified security and left the hotel.
Loved ones circulated a photo of the two on social media asking, “Have You Seen Us?” and noting they were last seen around 8 p.m. Friday, February 14 at the New York-New York casino hotel. They also continued calling Rio security.
Security returned to the room at 2:30 p.m. When repeated attempts to make contact again failed, they entered, making the gruesome discovery and calling 911.
In a press conference on Sunday night, police said that early evidence indicated that McGeehan took her daughter’s life before ending her own. No reports of gunfire were made by guests or staff, and investigators are still working to determine what may have precipitated the tragedy.
A note was found in the room, though police declined to discuss its contents.
“It is a sad and tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family,“ LVMPD Lt. Robert Price told local media outlets.
Upon hearing the news, Utah Xtreme Cheer, the team for which Smith competed, posted to Instagram: “We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice.”
Utah Fusion All‑Stars, where Smith had trained, said she would be remembered “for her sweet smile and the light she brought to her teams and to our gym.”
