Poker Writer
Las Vegas police discovered a suspected murder-suicide involving a young cheerleader and her mother at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Sunday. The LVPD released the details of the unspeakably tragic situation and confirmed the death of 11-year-old Addi Smith, who had been in town for a cheerleading competition.
Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were reported missing over the weekend after failing to show up for the cheer competition. Utah Xtreme Cheer, a Salt Lake City cheerleading team, shared missing-person fliers on its team Facebook page over the weekend. They had last been seen at the New York-New York Casino on Saturday.
The LVPD forced their way into the hotel room at the Rio, where they were staying, after receiving no answer to attempts to contact the room. There, they found both of them deceased. The authorities released the information that they had reason to believe it was a murder-suicide, with McGeehan shooting her daughter before shooting herself. There was also a note found at the scene, the contents of which were not made public.
Utah Xtreme Cheer shared the sad news on the team Facebook page with a tribute post to “our sweet athlete Addi:”
We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice. She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family.
Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers and continue to send them love as they navigate this unimaginable loss.
A police spokesman gave a statement to reporters.
“Anytime that you are dealing with any type of child death, it’s sad,” Lieutenant Robert Price said. “It’s a tragedy; our hearts go out to the family.”
Reports that followed the incident characterized the family as dealing with several sources of turmoil. Smith’s parents had engaged in a “years-long” custody fight. Furthermore, McGeehan had a “confrontation” with some other parents on the cheerleading team. McGeehan’s mother noted that she had struggled with depression all her life.
