Investigators say the pair came to Las Vegas for a cheer or dance competition.
LAS VEGAS, NV — A woman and her preteen daughter were found dead inside a hotel room near the Las Vegas Strip, and police said Monday they believe the mother shot the child before killing herself sometime Saturday night at the Rio Hotel & Casino.
The deaths drew attention after relatives and friends reported the pair missing when they did not show up for a competition. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department homicide detectives opened an investigation after hotel security found the bodies Sunday afternoon. Police have not publicly identified the mother and daughter, and officials said key questions remain, including what led up to the shooting and what a note found in the room may reveal.
Police said the first call came as a request for a welfare check Sunday morning, Feb. 15. Homicide Lt. Robert Price said dispatch sent officers about 10:45 a.m. to the Rio, an off-Strip resort on West Flamingo Road. Officers met hotel security and went to the room, where they knocked and called repeatedly but got no answer. Price said officers did not have enough information at that point to enter the room without permission, and they left after advising hotel staff.
As the hours passed, security continued receiving calls from family members and friends who were trying to locate the mother and daughter, police said. Those calls pushed security to return to the room later in the day. About 2:30 p.m., hotel staff again knocked and tried calling with no response, then decided to enter, police said. Inside, they found two females dead, backed out of the room and called 911. Officers returned, secured the scene and notified homicide detectives, who remained at the hotel as the investigation began.
Investigators said preliminary evidence indicates the mother shot her daughter and then herself sometime Saturday night, Feb. 14, while they were staying at the Rio. Police described the mother as being in her mid-30s and the child as a preteen. Price called the circumstances “sad and tragic” and said investigators’ hearts go out to the family. Authorities also said a note was found in the room, but Price said he could not share details about what it contained as detectives work to piece together what happened.
The mother and daughter had traveled to Las Vegas for a cheer or dance competition, police said. Their deaths came to light publicly as people in Utah and Nevada shared a missing-person flyer and social media posts seeking help finding them. The flyer identified the pair as Tawnia McGeehan and Addi Smith and said they were last seen about 8 p.m. Saturday at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Strip. Police said they have not released names, but confirmed the mother and daughter’s family had been notified as the homicide investigation continued.
A Salt Lake City-based organization, Utah Xtreme Cheer, said it began sounding the alarm when one of its athletes and her mother did not arrive for scheduled events Sunday. In an earlier message, the team said it had been unable to reach them and had contacted police. Later Sunday, the organization posted that the child had died. “We are completely heartbroken,” the group said in a statement, adding that the girl was “so beyond loved” and would “always be a part of” the team’s community.
The Rio sits west of the Las Vegas Strip near the 3700 block of West Flamingo Road, close to South Valley View Boulevard, an area with heavy tourist traffic and major resort properties. Police did not say whether anyone else was inside the room at any point or whether the weapon used has been traced to a purchaser. Officials also did not say whether the mother or daughter had any known ties in Southern Nevada beyond the trip, or whether there were prior reports of trouble before they were reported missing by people expecting them at the competition.
In Nevada, apparent murder-suicides are investigated as homicides because one person is believed to have been unlawfully killed, and detectives typically work to confirm identity, establish cause and manner of death, and document the chain of events. That process often includes interviews with relatives and witnesses, review of hotel surveillance video, and examination of digital records that could show travel plans or last communications. Police said the information released so far is preliminary and that more details may be provided as investigators gather facts.
The Clark County coroner’s office is expected to conduct autopsies and issue formal findings, including an official cause and manner of death, though police did not give a timeline. Price said detectives were still working to determine the circumstances leading up to the shooting and the meaning of the note. Police also did not announce any public hearing dates or court proceedings, because the case involves deaths rather than a surviving suspect. The investigation remains open as detectives seek to confirm the sequence of events.
Outside the hotel, the response played out quietly: officers came and went while security staff restricted access near the room. The case also rippled through the cheer community, where teammates and supporters posted messages of grief as the missing-person effort turned into a death investigation. Authorities urged patience as they worked to verify details and said they would release additional information when they are able.
As of Monday, Feb. 16, police said the deaths appear to be a murder-suicide and that detectives remain focused on confirming what happened Saturday night and documenting the evidence found in the room. Officials said the next major step will be the coroner’s findings and any additional information investigators can share after interviews and record reviews.
Author note: Last updated February 16, 2026.