# Mother kills daughter at Vegas hotel during cheer competition

> A Utah mother took her own life after killing her 11-year-old daughter in a Las Vegas hotel room during a cheerleading tournament.
- Title: Mother kills daughter at Vegas hotel during cheer competition
- Summary: A Utah mother took her own life after killing her 11-year-old daughter in a Las Vegas hotel room during a cheerleading tournament. A mother struggling with…
- Keywords: tawnia mcgeehan, addi smith, utah, las vegas, rio hotel and casino, cheerleading tournament, utah xtreme cheer, murder suicide, custody battle, depression, child death, news
- Source: Valleynewslive — https://valleynewslive.com/2026/09/16/new-details-reveal-what-mother-did-before-killing-her-daughter-while-attending-cheerleading-competition
- Published: 2026-09-16T20:36:21.963+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tawnia mcgeehan, addi smith, utah, las vegas, rio hotel and casino, cheerleading tournament, utah xtreme cheer, murder suicide, custody battle, depression, child death, news
## Mother and daughter found dead in Vegas hotel
Tawnia McGeehan, 34, and her 11-year-old daughter Addi Smith were discovered dead in their Rio Hotel and Casino room on February 15 after Addi failed to appear at a cheerleading competition.
## They traveled for Addi's cheer tournament
McGeehan and Addi had traveled from Utah to Las Vegas on February 13 so Addi could compete with her team, Utah Xtreme Cheer, at a cheerleading tournament.
## Warning note found blocking the door
Hotel security discovered a chair blocking the door with a handwritten note that read, 'Call 911 before walking in. Two dead bodies and one is an 11-year-old.'

> Call 911 before walking in. Two dead bodies and one is an 11-year-old.
## Daughter was heavily medicated beforehand
Investigators found notes indicating Addi had been 'very medicated' before her death. Multiple prescription bottles, sleep aids, THC gummies, and empty gabapentin capsules were recovered from the room.
## Mother ruled to have died by suicide
The coroner ruled McGeehan's death a suicide caused by a gunshot wound to the head. A semi-automatic handgun was recovered at the scene.
## Mother battling depression and custody fight
Family members said McGeehan suffered severe depression and significant distress from a prolonged custody battle with her ex-husband. She had temporarily lost custody in 2020 before reaching a joint custody agreement in 2024.
## Key takeaway

A mother struggling with depression and a custody battle medicated her daughter before killing her and herself in a Las Vegas hotel.