When Addilyn Smith failed to arrive at her cheerleading compeтιтion in Las Vegas, nobody initially knew that the 11-year-old would never return to the team. The young Utah athlete had traveled to Nevada with her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, for the event. Her absence quickly became concerning because she was expected to compete with Utah Xtreme Cheer. Family members were also unable to contact the pair, prompting a welfare check at the Rio H๏τel & Casino.

The first welfare check did not immediately reveal what had happened. Officers went to the H๏τel room, knocked and called out but received no response. According to accounts released afterward, authorities did not initially have enough information to force entry. Concern continued to grow, however, and H๏τel security later returned to the room. When the door was eventually opened, the situation changed from a missing-person concern into a devastating crime scene.

Inside were Addi and her mother. Both had suffered fatal gunsH๏τ wounds. Investigators later concluded that McGeehan killed her daughter before taking her own life. The Clark County coroner classified Addi’s death as a homicide and McGeehan’s death as a suicide. A handgun was recovered from the room, and the two were found together on a bed.

But the physical evidence inside the room revealed another layer to the investigation. A chair had been placed directly against the entrance. Attached to it was a handwritten warning instructing anyone who entered to call 911 and informing them that two people were ᴅᴇᴀᴅ inside, including an 11-year-old. Investigators also recovered additional handwritten notes, prescription medication containers and other substances.

The coroner’s report later showed that Addi and her mother had multiple substances in their systems. The records referenced prescription medications and other substances, while investigators also found sleep aids and THC gummies in the room. A note reportedly described Addi as having been heavily medicated before the shooting. Despite those findings, officials determined that the deaths resulted from gunsH๏τ injuries rather than an overdose.

The case also drew attention to McGeehan’s history. The coroner’s report cited information from relatives describing severe depression and previous suicidal thoughts. Separate court records documented years of custody disputes involving Addi’s parents. McGeehan had previously lost custody of her daughter before later regaining joint custody under a subsequent arrangement. Those details became part of the investigation’s broader context, although they do not by themselves establish the precise reason the killings occurred.

The father had attempted to locate Addi before the bodies were discovered. Newly released 911 records showed that he contacted police after being unable to reach his daughter and McGeehan. The cheerleading community had also raised the alarm after Addi missed the compeтιтion. These calls created the chain of events that eventually brought authorities to the H๏τel room.

The tragedy has remained particularly painful because of how ordinary the trip initially appeared. Addi was in Las Vegas to compete alongside other young athletes. Instead, her absence became the warning sign that something was wrong, and the eventual H๏τel discovery revealed a tragedy that investigators would spend months documenting. Newly released records now provide a clearer picture of the scene, while leaving the private circumstances behind the final hours only partially understood.

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/us-news/disturbing-way-cheerleader-11-was-found-ᴅᴇᴀᴅ-after-utah-dance-mom-killed-her-in-murder-suicide-at-H๏τel/