Haunting note on Vegas hotel door hinted at tragedy before cheer mom, daughter found dead

Newly released dispatch records amusement authorities were alerted to a imaginable termination effort aft a enactment was recovered connected the doorway of a Las Vegas edifice country — soon earlier an 11-year-old miss and her parent were recovered changeable to decease inside.

Addilyn "Addi" Smith, 11, and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were recovered dormant wrong a country astatine the Rio Hotel & Casino connected Feb. 15 aft edifice unit conducted a payment check, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Police were archetypal called to the edifice astir 10:45 a.m. section clip aft the brace failed to amusement up astatine a cheerleading competition. Addi’s manager requested a payment cheque erstwhile she did not arrive, according to 911 telephone records obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Officers knocked connected the doorway and called into the country for 15 to 20 minutes but received nary response. With nary contiguous signs of danger, constabulary cleared the call.

Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, traveled to Las Vegas for a cheer contention earlier they were recovered dormant wrong a edifice country astatine the Rio Hotel & Casino. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are investigating the case. (FACEBOOK/ Tawnia Hope McGeehan)

Over the adjacent respective hours, edifice unit received further requests for a payment check. At astir 2:26 p.m., occurrence officials advised dispatchers that a enactment had been recovered connected a doorway and that determination whitethorn person been a imaginable termination attempt, the Review-Journal reported. Hotel unit entered the country 1 infinitesimal later. 

By 2:35 p.m., ambulance officials told dispatchers they had located an big pistillate and a kid deceased, according to the outlet. 

"The parent changeable her girl and past changeable herself," LVMPD Homicide Lt. Robert Price said astatine a erstwhile quality conference. He confirmed a enactment was near down but declined to sermon its contents. Authorities person not publically identified a motive, and the probe remains ongoing.

MOTHER SHOOTS DAUGHTER, THEN HERSELF IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE AT LAS VEGAS HOTEL, POLICE SAY

A presumption of the Rio Hotel & Casino exterior and surrounding scenery successful Las Vegas connected Nov. 11, 2025. (Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service Via Getty Images)

The Clark County coroner ruled McGeehan’s origin of decease arsenic a gunshot coiled to the caput and listed the mode of decease arsenic suicide. Addi’s origin and mode of decease stay pending.

Although constabulary person not formally identified the victims, tribunal documents and household members person identified them arsenic McGeehan and Addi.

Court filings reviewed by Fox News Digital amusement McGeehan and Addi’s father, Brad Smith, were locked successful a contentious custody conflict for astir a decennary pursuing their 2015 divorce. Judges imposed elaborate speech protocols governing however and wherever the parents could manus disconnected their daughter. Records amusement McGeehan temporarily mislaid custody of Addi successful 2017 but was granted associated custody successful 2020.

CALIFORNIA MAN KILLS WIFE, TEEN DAUGHTER IN MURDER-SUICIDE: AUTHORITIES

Addi Smith, 11, had traveled to Las Vegas for a nationalist cheer contention earlier she and her parent were recovered dormant astatine the Rio Hotel & Casino. Authorities accidental the probe remains ongoing. (GoFundMe)

McGeehan had besides precocious been receiving "mean" substance messages from different parents connected her daughter’s Utah Xtreme Cheer team, the New York Post reported.

Connie McGeehan, Tawnia’s mother, told the outlet her girl had been having issues with "one oregon two" different mothers connected the squad and that tensions escalated astir a period earlier the tragedy.

"In the past comp they had, different miss got dropped and immoderate of the moms were saying it was due to the fact that of Addi," Connie McGeehan told The Post. "They were texting [Tawnia] mean worldly and blaming Addi."

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The Post cited a root adjacent to the squad who said determination had been a caller "confrontation" betwixt McGeehan and different parent successful a waiting room. Utah Xtreme Cheer proprietor Kory Uyetake acknowledged to the outlet that determination had been "comments backmost and forth" betwixt McGeehan and immoderate different parents but said everything appeared mean erstwhile the squad traveled to Las Vegas.

One of the different cheer moms who spoke with Fox News Digital confirmed tensions among immoderate parents but said the absorption present is connected the children grieving. She said her girl has struggled with the nonaccomplishment but plans to motorboat a intelligence wellness consciousness and termination prevention programme astatine her schoolhouse adjacent twelvemonth successful grant of her friend.

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The JAMZ Nationals cheer contention astatine the Rio Hotel & Casino successful Las Vegas, wherever Addilyn "Addi" Smith was scheduled to compete. (X@CheerTheory)

Valerie Krystine Muniz, who identified herself connected societal media arsenic Addi’s aunt and the sister of her father, urged the nationalist to halt speculating arsenic the household grieves.

"We already spot truthful overmuch speculation going astir truthful delight assistance successful conscionable spreading emotion and prayers portion my member tries to prime up the pieces of what has happened," Muniz wrote.

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"I person ne'er known a antheral to emotion and combat for his girl similar helium has done each of Addi’s life," she added. "The strategy failed him and her."

Muniz did not elaborate.

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James Watts, who represented McGeehan, confirmed to PEOPLE that helium is alert of the enactment but has not seen it.

"I bash not cognize what the contented is," Watts told the outlet. "It is the family's anticipation astatine immoderate point, erstwhile it's nary longer required by instrumentality enforcement, that it volition beryllium returned to [McGeehan's] mother, [who] would similar to cognize what was being said astatine the time."

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to Watts for further information.

Authorities person not released further details astir a imaginable motive. When contacted, Metro Police said they bash not person immoderate caller updates.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].

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