A cheerleading competition meant to celebrate teamwork and young ambition ended in unimaginable tragedy when an 11-year-old Utah girl was killed by her mother inside a Las Vegas hotel room.
Police say Addilyn Smith, a beloved young cheerleader, was fatally shot by her mother, 34-year-old Tawnia McGeehan, before McGeehan turned the gun on herself.
The shocking discovery was made Sunday, Feb. 15, after multiple welfare checks were requested for the pair when Addilyn failed to appear for her scheduled cheer competition.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, officers were first dispatched to the hotel earlier in the day after someone requested a welfare check on the mother and daughter. When police knocked on the door and received no response, they initially found nothing that suggested an emergency.
But concern continued to grow as the day went on.
Members of Addilyn’s cheer team grew worried after the young athlete missed the competition Sunday morning. Requests for additional welfare checks followed.
Eventually, hotel security staff entered the room.
Inside, they discovered both McGeehan and her daughter dead from gunshot wounds.
Investigators later confirmed that McGeehan had shot Addilyn before taking her own life.
The pair had traveled from Utah to Las Vegas so Addilyn could compete in a cheerleading tournament — a trip that was supposed to be a highlight for the young athlete.
Instead, it became the setting of a heartbreaking crime that has left her cheer community in mourning.
Addilyn was a member of Utah Xtreme Cheer, where coaches and teammates remembered her as an energetic and dedicated young performer.
“She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family,” the organization said in a statement posted to Facebook following the tragedy.
Former coach Emily Morgan told KUTV that Addilyn’s enthusiasm and work ethic made her stand out.
“She took a lot of pride in what she was doing,” Morgan said. “As a coach, that’s the dream. And because of that attitude, I always knew she was going to go far in this experience.”
As the community mourns the loss of the young cheerleader, newly surfaced court records reveal a complicated history within the family.
Addilyn’s parents divorced in 2017, according to court documents related to their custody arrangements.
In December 2020, a Utah County judge temporarily granted Addilyn’s father sole custody.
The decision cited concerns about McGeehan’s behavior, including allegations of parental alienation. According to the ruling, the judge also determined that McGeehan had committed domestic abuse in front of her daughter.
Under the court order at the time, McGeehan was required to have a third party present during visits with Addilyn.
The custody arrangement was later modified in May 2024, when a judge awarded both parents joint legal and physical custody. Court documents do not immediately clarify what circumstances led to the change.
Authorities have not publicly released a motive for the killing, and police say the investigation remains ongoing.
