Police said the deaths appear to be a murder-suicide during a competition trip.
LAS VEGAS, NV — A Utah mother and her preteen daughter were found dead inside a hotel room west of the Las Vegas Strip, and police said early findings indicate the mother shot the girl before killing herself during a weekend trip for a cheer or dance competition.
The deaths, discovered after the pair missed a scheduled competition and relatives pushed for repeated checks, launched a homicide investigation and sent shock through a tight youth sports community back in Utah. Investigators said a note was recovered from the room, but authorities have not described what it said or publicly outlined a motive. Police said the evidence so far points to the shooting happening Saturday night, hours before the pair was found Sunday afternoon.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said the case began as a welfare check request on Sunday morning after the child did not show up for a competition and neither she nor her mother could be reached. Officers and hotel security went to a room at the Rio Hotel and Casino and knocked multiple times, police said, and the room phone was called with no answer. At that point, police said, there was not enough information to enter the room without permission. LVMPD Homicide Lt. Robert Price later told reporters the department was called to the hotel around 10:45 a.m. and that the situation was “sad and tragic” as detectives tried to piece together what happened.
Family members and friends continued reaching out through the day, urging the hotel to try again. Police said hotel security returned to the room later Sunday and forced entry after getting no response. Inside, security staff found the mother and daughter dead and immediately called police, according to investigators. Officers then began a homicide investigation and said preliminary information indicates the mother shot her daughter and then turned the gun on herself. Price said a note was found during the investigation, but he said he was not able to discuss what it contained. Authorities have not said what kind of firearm was used or who owned it, and they have not released the specific location of injuries or other details often confirmed after an autopsy.
Police and Utah officials identified the pair as Tawnia McGeehan and her daughter, Addi Smith. Authorities described the child as a preteen, and police said the mother and daughter were in Las Vegas for a dance or cheer competition. A missing-person flyer circulated during the search said the pair had been last seen Saturday night at another Strip-area resort. That public search ended hours later with the deaths at the Rio, a large off-Strip hotel near West Flamingo Road and South Valley View Boulevard. Police said the investigation remained ongoing, and detectives were still working to confirm the sequence of events leading up to the shooting and to review information provided by relatives and others.
In Utah, the girl’s cheer organization, Utah Xtreme Cheer, posted an urgent message Sunday asking for help locating an athlete and her mother after they missed the competition and could not be reached. Later, the gym confirmed the child’s death in a second post, calling the loss devastating and saying she was deeply loved by teammates and coaches. Other youth programs and community groups also issued condolences, describing the child as a regular presence in local events and training. The messages reflected how quickly news spread through the close circles that often form around competitive cheer, where families travel together and children practice multiple times a week.
Law enforcement agencies in Utah also acknowledged the deaths. The Salem Police Department said the girl was the niece of one of its officers, identified as Sgt. Smith, and the department said colleagues were coming together to support the family. In Las Vegas, the hotel referred questions to police while detectives worked the scene and reviewed the circumstances of the forced entry. Police did not say whether anyone else was in the hotel room at any point during the weekend or whether the mother and child had visitors. Authorities also did not say if there had been prior calls for service involving the pair during their time in Las Vegas, and they have not described whether investigators recovered surveillance video or electronic records that could clarify their movements.
Neighbors and friends in Utah described disbelief as word of the deaths reached home. In one neighborhood gathering, residents tied blue ribbons around trees as a show of support for relatives, and several said they could not imagine such a loss touching a family so close to them. One neighbor, Alison Johnson, said the group wanted the family to know people were thinking about them and cared for them. Another neighbor, Melissa Hoch, said the absence would be felt in everyday routines, including seeing children headed to school. The comments underscored the way a tragedy tied to one hotel room in Las Vegas rippled back to quiet streets hundreds of miles away.
Investigators said no additional details were immediately being released while the case is reviewed. Police have not announced any public briefings beyond the initial comments, and they have not said when final determinations of cause and manner of death will be completed. Authorities said relatives had been notified and asked for privacy as the investigation continues and funeral arrangements are made. For now, police said, the case remains an active homicide investigation pending further findings and reports.
Author note: Last updated February 17, 2026.