Dance mom put note on door of Vegas hotel room then murdered daughter, 11, and killed herself
A Utah dance mom who murdered her own daughter before killing herself left a note pinned to their Las Vegas hotel room before carrying out the killing, police said.
Tawnia McGeehan, 34, and her daughter Addi Smith, 11, were both found inside their room at the Rio Hotel last month.
According to a 911 call made by fire officials, reviewed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, they found a note on the door after being called for a welfare check.
Police had responded to the room before that after Addi never appeared at a cheerleading competition but they left after they didn't get a response.
Hotel staff continued to be bombarded with requests for a welfare check, with fire officials then being called in when they found the note.
Ambulance teams then called dispatchers after the two were found dead inside, telling police they found gunshot wounds and a prescription pill bottle inside.
McGeehan's attorney James Watts told People that he was aware of the note but had yet to lay eyes on it.
He said: 'It is the family's hope at some point that it will be returned to [McGeehan's] mother, [who] would like to know what was being said at the time.'
Addi Smith was killed by her mother Tawnia McGeehan who then took her own life
Tawnia, pictured with Addi, endured an exceptionally bitter custody battle with Addi's father Bradley Smith
Addi's father Bradley Smith frantically dialed 911 from his home in Utah after McGeehan, his ex-wife, went silent on him.
According to a call log unearthed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, he said: 'I’m trying to figure out where my daughter and her mom is.
'They were supposed to be at a dance competition this morning. They didn’t show up. People went to their hotel room, they’re not answering the door.
'They’re not answering messages or even seeing the messages. It’s very strange.'
The Daily Mail revealed that McGeehan and Smith had a bitter custody dispute over their daughter, with court officials in Utah going to extreme lengths to keep the two apart after they divorced in 2015.
They even went as far to ensure that the two parked five spaces apart during handovers of their daughter.
Addi was to walk between the two cars by herself. When school was not in session, her parents were ordered to complete the handover outside Herriman Police Department in Utah at 9am each Monday morning.
Both parents were warned in the custody ruling not to film the custody handovers and were banned from approaching one another at Addi's school events.
The court ordered the two to 'encourage and accept' a positive relationship between Addi and the opposing parent and to keep their 'personal conflicts' away from the youngster.
Addi is pictured here alongside her father Bradley Smith, who at one stage in proceedings was awarded sole custody
Police found the two inside a room in the Rio hotel, Las Vegas, which is pictured here
They also had to make Addi available for FaceTime on Tuesday and Friday nights at 6pm.
The parents were each given a 15 minute window to make the call or risk forfeiting it for the day.
The parents were forbidden from criticizing each other in front of Addi and banned from letting their relatives do the same in front of their daughter.
The two were ordered to use the Family Wizard, an app which offers messaging between warring couples who share children.
McGeehan and Smith were told they could only text one another in the event of an emergency involving Addi.
It was initially agreed that Addi would live with McGeehan while the two shared joint custody when they originally divorced, court papers said.
In December of 2020 however, the court ordered that Smith be handed sole custody. Facebook photos suggest he was a dedicated father and that Addi adored him.
The custody ruling came after a judge found that McGeehan was subjecting Addi to 'behavior that is on the spectrum of parental alienation'.
The ruling added that McGeehan 'has committed domestic abuse in the presence of the minor child'.
No further details were offered in the papers reviewed by the Daily Mail.
The Utah Xtreme Cheer troupe, of which Smith was a member, shared a tribute to her.
A spokesman said: 'With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away.
'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.
'We ask that you respect their privacy during this time. Addi, we love you tremendously.'
