“With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away. ”
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A mother and daughter are dead in what authorities are calling a murder-suicide, with the mother fatally shooting her 11-year-old daughter in a Las Vegas hotel room over the weekend before turning the gun on herself.
Authorities said that their bodies were found in the Rio Hotel & Casino on Sunday, along with an apparent suicide note. Per the New York Post, the pair, who had been in town for a cheer meet, failed to show up for the competition.
Utah Xtreme Cheer had said before the discovery that one of its members, Addi Smith, and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were missing in Las Vegas ahead of the competition. On Sunday, the team announced, “With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away. “
The team added, “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.”
Police said that the mother, 38, is believed to have shot her daughter sometime late on Saturday before killing herself. Authorities first went to their room at the hotel at around 10:45 am on Sunday after someone had requested a welfare check.
Police said they knocked several times, but no one answered. After several hours and repeated requests from the family to check the room again, the bodies were found. A note was also found inside the hotel room.
Per the New York Post, McGeehan and her ex-husband, Brad Smith, had gone through a lengthy custody battle in the wake of their divorce. As part of the custody arrangement reached with court, the parents were ordered to park five parking spots away from each other during custody handoffs, with the girl being made to walk between her parents’ vehicles.
When school wasn’t in session, they were ordered to conduct the handoff outside the Herriman Police Department in Utah at 9 am every Monday. They were further ordered to never film the handovers and to avoid each other at their daughter’s school events.
The documents stated that McGeehan had decision-making authority over Addi, but that Smith could take the issue to court if he did not agree with any of them.
