A H๏τel room in Las Vegas became the final scene in the lives of an 11-year-old Utah cheerleader and her mother after a handwritten warning was discovered on the door. The message, found when H๏τel personnel eventually entered the room, instructed anyone going inside to call 911 and warned that two bodies were present, including one belonging to an 11-year-old child. Months after the deaths, the note has become one of the most striking details contained in newly released investigative records.

The tragedy began during what was supposed to be a short compeтιтion trip. Addilyn “Addi” Smith, 11, and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, 34, traveled from Utah to Las Vegas on February 13, 2026. Addi was scheduled to participate in a cheerleading compeтιтion with her team. Two days later, however, she failed to appear. The absence quickly raised concerns because she was expected to be at the event that morning.

Addi’s father, Bradley Smith, became increasingly concerned when he could not reach his daughter. He contacted Las Vegas police and requested a welfare check. Officers went to the Rio H๏τel & Casino and attempted to make contact with the occupants of the room. They knocked repeatedly and called out, but no one responded. At the time, officers did not enter the room.

The later return to the room produced the discovery that investigators would spend months documenting. H๏τel security eventually entered after additional concern was raised. The door had been obstructed, and a handwritten note had been left in a location where it could be seen before entry. The message told anyone entering to call emergency services and identified the presence of two ᴅᴇᴀᴅ people.

Inside were Addi and her mother.

The subsequent investigation concluded that McGeehan had killed her daughter and then died by suicide. The Clark County coroner determined that both deaths were caused by gunsH๏τ wounds. The findings transformed the H๏τel room into a crime scene that investigators would examine for physical evidence, medication records, written material and other clues to what had occurred before the deaths.

Among the evidence documented in the room were prescription medication bottles, empty capsules, over-the-counter sleep medication and THC gummies. Investigators also found a cup containing white residue and a handgun. Toxicology testing later detected several substances in both mother and daughter. According to newly released reports, Addi had been heavily medicated before her death.

The medical findings have generated renewed attention because they provide a clearer picture of the circumstances immediately preceding the killings. However, toxicology findings should not be mistaken for a complete explanation of motive. The records document substances found in the bodies and items recovered from the room, but they do not independently establish why McGeehan made the decision to kill her daughter.

Investigators also examined McGeehan’s personal and family circumstances. Records show a long-running custody dispute involving Addi’s parents. The conflict had continued for years, with court proceedings and changes in custody arrangements. McGeehan had previously faced restrictions involving custody and visitation, and the parents ultimately reached a joint-custody agreement in 2024.

Family members also reported that McGeehan had a history of severe depression and previous suicidal thoughts. Those reports form part of the background contained in investigative records, but they do not amount to a complete account of the events. Authorities have not publicly identified a single definitive motive that explains the murder-suicide.

The handwritten warning remains one of the clearest physical indications of what investigators encountered when they finally entered the room. It was not merely evidence of the deaths; it was also a message apparently intended for the people who would eventually discover them. The fact that the note was encountered only after a welfare check had already begun makes the sequence particularly unsettling.

For Addi’s cheerleading community, the case has an especially painful contrast. She had traveled to Las Vegas to compete. Her teammates expected her to arrive. Instead, her absence became the first sign that something was terribly wrong.

The September 2026 records now provide a more detailed timeline and a clearer account of the physical evidence. Yet the release of those documents does not resolve every question. It explains more about what investigators found, but the deeper question of why a child’s compeтιтion trip ended in a H๏τel-room homicide remains a devastating part of the case.