You are here: / / Mother and Daughter Found Dead in Las Vegas Hotel Room in Apparent Murder-Suicide
Mother and Daughter Found Dead in Las Vegas Hotel Room in Apparent Murder-Suicide
The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where police say a woman and her 11-year-old daughter were found dead inside a guest room in what authorities are investigating as a suspected murder-suicide. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a welfare check at the property after the pair failed to appear at a scheduled cheer competition. File photo: Pixel Doc, licensed.
LAS VEGAS, NV – A woman and her pre-teen daughter were found dead inside a hotel room at the Rio Hotel & Casino over the weekend in what police describe as a suspected murder-suicide, authorities said Monday.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers responded to a welfare check request at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday after family members expressed concern and the pair failed to appear for a scheduled cheer competition, the department said.
Upon arriving at the room, officers and hotel security knocked and called out several times but received no response, according to police. After they initially left the scene, continued prompting by relatives led security staff to re-check the room in the early afternoon. They forced entry and discovered the two bodies inside, police said.
You are here: / / Mother and Daughter Found Dead in Las Vegas Hotel Room in Apparent Murder-Suicide
Mother and Daughter Found Dead in Las Vegas Hotel Room in Apparent Murder-Suicide
The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where police say a woman and her 11-year-old daughter were found dead inside a guest room in what authorities are investigating as a suspected murder-suicide. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a welfare check at the property after the pair failed to appear at a scheduled cheer competition. File photo: Pixel Doc, licensed.
LAS VEGAS, NV – A woman and her pre-teen daughter were found dead inside a hotel room at the Rio Hotel & Casino over the weekend in what police describe as a suspected murder-suicide, authorities said Monday.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers responded to a welfare check request at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday after family members expressed concern and the pair failed to appear for a scheduled cheer competition, the department said.
Upon arriving at the room, officers and hotel security knocked and called out several times but received no response, according to police. After they initially left the scene, continued prompting by relatives led security staff to re-check the room in the early afternoon. They forced entry and discovered the two bodies inside, police said.
Evidence Points to Murder-Suicide
Preliminary investigation by homicide detectives suggests the mother shot her daughter and subsequently killed herself late Saturday night, law enforcement officials told reporters. A note was found at the scene, though authorities have not released details about its contents.
Names of the victims were not immediately disclosed by police, but family and community groups identified the pair as Tawnia McGeehan and her daughter, 11-year-old Addi Smith, both from West Jordan, Utah. They had traveled to Nevada to attend a cheerleading competition with Utah Xtreme Cheer, and were last seen late Saturday evening near the New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, according to posts shared by the cheer organization on social media.
Utah Xtreme Cheer later confirmed Addi’s death in a statement expressing profound grief and asking for privacy for the family. “With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away,” the group wrote online.
Discovery and Response
The cause of the fatal shootings has been preliminarily classified as a murder-suicide by LVMPD homicide investigators, who said they believe the incident occurred sometime Saturday night, before the pair was reported missing.
Police officials have described the circumstances as “sad and tragic” and indicated that the investigation remains active, with further details expected to be released when available.
As of Monday, authorities had not released the weapon details or other forensic findings, and it was unclear whether neighboring guests heard any disturbance the night of the incident.
Community Response
Friends, family members and members of the cheer community had earlier circulated missing-persons alerts on social media after the pair did not show up for the event and could not be reached. Their belongings, including vehicle keys, reportedly remained at the hotel, prompting concern.
The tragic deaths have drawn attention to the pressures faced by traveling families and the wider issue of mental health, though investigators have not publicly commented on motive or contributing factors.
