The day was supposed to revolve around a cheerleading compeтιтion. Instead, the absence of 11-year-old Addilyn Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, eventually triggered a welfare check that led authorities to one of the most disturbing discoveries in the Las Vegas case.

Mother and daughter had traveled from Utah to Las Vegas for Addi’s compeтιтion. When they failed to appear and could not be reached, Addi’s father contacted authorities. Other people connected with the compeтιтion also made calls. The first welfare check did not immediately lead to entry into the room, according to the coroner’s report. Later that afternoon, the situation changed, and H๏τel security entered the room and found the pair ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

For months, relatively little information was publicly available about exactly what investigators encountered inside. That changed in September when the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner released its investigative and toxicology reports. The documents provided a far more detailed account of the final hours and the evidence recovered at the scene.

One of the most striking discoveries was a handwritten message positioned near the entrance. The report said the note warned anyone entering the room to contact emergency services first and indicated that two people were ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, including an 11-year-old. Investigators also found additional handwritten material and evidence indicating that McGeehan had intentionally left information behind for investigators and family members.

The reports identified the cause of death for both victims as gunsH๏τ wounds. Addi’s death was classified as a homicide, while McGeehan’s was classified as a suicide. The official findings therefore established the basic sequence authorities believe occurred, even though the coroner’s documentation did not provide a definitive explanation for every factor that contributed to the tragedy.

Toxicology testing revealed another important part of the story. Investigators found several substances in the systems of both mother and daughter. The reports identified medications including quetiapine, gabapentin, lorazepam and diphenhydramine in Addi’s system. McGeehan’s report contained several of the same substances along with medications including citalopram or escitalopram and eszopiclone or zopiclone, as well as cannabinoids and other substances. The coroner nevertheless listed gunsH๏τ wounds rather than drug intoxication as the causes of death.

The findings have led to renewed examination of McGeehan’s state of mind before the incident. According to the coroner’s report, family members described a history of severe depression and previous suicidal thoughts. Investigators also documented information that she had been under stress related to relationship problems and a long-running custody dispute.

Importantly, the official documents do not say that a particular medication or a particular argument directly caused the deaths. Instead, they record the physical evidence, statements provided by relatives and information known to investigators. That distinction matters because the final events involved numerous circumstances that had developed over several years.

The timeline of the welfare checks has also attracted attention. According to KSL’s report based on the coroner documents, the first police response occurred after the family failed to appear at the compeтιтion. Officers went to the room but initially cleared the call because they did not have enough reason to force entry. A subsequent call later in the afternoon resulted in additional action, with H๏τel security ultimately entering the room. The coroner’s office was contacted later that day, and the deaths were formally pronounced that evening.

The circumstances have been particularly difficult for people connected with Addi’s cheerleading team. Her organization described her as deeply loved and remembered her as part of its community. The young athlete had traveled to Las Vegas for an event that was supposed to be a normal part of her compeтιтive season.

Seven months later, the release of the coroner records reopened the story. For relatives, the new information brought details they had not previously known. For the public, it provided answers to some basic questions while leaving others unresolved.

Connie McGeehan, Tawnia’s mother and Addi’s grandmother, has continued to speak publicly about the family. In September, she told the New York Post that she wanted people to remember her daughter as a loving mother and recalled ordinary family experiences shared by Tawnia and Addi. She described trips, outings and traditions that existed long before the final trip to Las Vegas.

The contrast between those memories and the forensic record is central to the case. One record describes family life as remembered by relatives; another records evidence collected after two deaths. Neither perspective alone captures the entire story.

The latest documents therefore transform the case from a brief report about a mother and child found ᴅᴇᴀᴅ during a sporting trip into a much more detailed investigation of what happened before, during and after their final day in Las Vegas. The unanswered questions now concern not only the tragedy itself but also the years of personal and legal circumstances that preceded it.

Source: https://nypost.com/2026/02/19/us-news/tawnia-mcgeehan-had-visits-with-slain-daughter-cut-record-of-violence/