{"id":223229,"date":"2026-02-16T19:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/tawnia-mcgeehan-daughter-addi-smith-die-in-murder-suicide\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T19:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:29:08","slug":"tawnia-mcgeehan-daughter-addi-smith-die-in-murder-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/16\/tawnia-mcgeehan-daughter-addi-smith-die-in-murder-suicide\/","title":{"rendered":"Tawnia McGeehan &#038; Daughter Addi Smith Die in Murder-Suicide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>An unthinkable tragedy has destroyed a family.<\/p>\n<p>Over the weekend, preteen Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan were on a trip for Addi\u2019s cheerleading team.<\/p>\n<p>They didn\u2019t show to the cheer meet. No one was able to get a hold of them.<\/p>\n<p>Police found the mother and daughter dead in an apparent murder-suicide. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><\/noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Tawnia McGeehan and Addi Smith\" class=\"wp-image-548491 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_header.png\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tawnia McGeehan and Addi Smith died by gunshot wounds over Valentine\u2019s Day weekend in an alleged murder-suicide.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: 8 News Now)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-our-hearts-go-out-to-addi-s-loved-ones\">Our hearts go out to Addi\u2019s loved ones<\/h2>\n<p>On Sunday, February 15, authorities made a grim discovery at the Rio Hotel &amp; Casino in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<p>Mom Tawnia McGeehan and her preteen daughter, Addi Smith, were in the city for a cheer meet.<\/p>\n<p>Addi was part of Utah Xtreme Cheer.<\/p>\n<p>When she did not show up (and her mother did not call) for the competition, her teammates were worried. <\/p>\n<p>From the information at hand, it appears that parents or others with the cheerleading team reached out to other family in search of answers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1024x576.png\" alt=\"The Rio Hotel &amp; Casino on the news.\" class=\"wp-image-548496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1024x576.png\" alt=\"The Rio Hotel &amp; Casino on the news.\" class=\"wp-image-548496 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_02.png\" loading=\"lazy\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Rio Hotel &amp; Casio in Las Vegas was the site of the alleged murder-suicide.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: 8 News Now)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tawnia and Addi\u2019s family were unable to contact them.<\/p>\n<p>Worried, they reached out to authorities and made repeated requests for police to conduct a welfare check on the mother and daughter.<\/p>\n<p>At around 10:45am on Sunday morning, officers and hotel security at the Rio Hotel &amp; Casino visited the room. <\/p>\n<p>There, police uncovered a tragic scene.<\/p>\n<p>They found the bodies of both Tawnia and Addi. Additionally, they found an apparent suicide note.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mother, daughter killed in apparent murder-suicide at hotel near Las Vegas Strip\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NTZo1PKpdHQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-police-have-only-disclosed-certain-details-thus-far\">Police have only disclosed certain details thus far<\/h2>\n<p>Both Tawnia and Addi had died by gunshot wounds.<\/p>\n<p>(It remains unclear if anyone in the hotel heard gunshots or reported them)<\/p>\n<p>A homicide investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>However, based upon their findings, investigators believe that this was a murder-suicide.<\/p>\n<p>They believe that Tawnia fatally shot her daughter on Saturday night and then killed herself.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Police address the media\" class=\"wp-image-548495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Police address the media\" class=\"wp-image-548495 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_01.png\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The alleged murder-suicide is an ongoing investigation, so police limited how much information they shared.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: 8 News Now)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The cheer team themselves announced the tragedy \u2014 in part \u2014 in a public statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away,\u201d the statement shared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are completely heartbroken,\u201d the cheer team expressed. \u201cNo words do the situation justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of Addi, they affirmed: \u201cShe was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The statement did not delve into Tawnia\u2019s passing. Given the alleged circumstances, that is understandable.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Addi and Tawnia on the news.\" class=\"wp-image-548505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\"\/><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1024x576.png\" alt=\"Addi and Tawnia on the news.\" class=\"wp-image-548505 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 20px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.thehollywoodgossip.com\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0216_tawniamcgeehan_03.png\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">At first, Tawnia McGeehan and Addi Smith were simply \u201cmissing\u201d after they vanished before a cheer meet.<span class=\"image-caption-credit\"> (Image Credit: 8 News Now)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-could-prompt-a-murder-suicide-like-this\">What could prompt a murder-suicide like this?<\/h2>\n<p>Investigators are likely speaking to family today (and all this week) alongside classmates, school counselors, hotel staff, and fellow cheerleaders.<\/p>\n<p>There is so much that we do not know. And we <em>do <\/em>need to emphasize that, even if murder-suicide is apparently the likely explanation, sometimes crime scenes (and notes found at them) are misleading.<\/p>\n<p>If you have ever known someone who had a tragedy like this in their family, you know that all that it takes is a heated argument, a loss of control, and easy access to a gun.<\/p>\n<p>It seems unlikely that Tawnia <em>planned <\/em>this for the trip. (Family annihilators might plan a family trip in advance before a deliberate crime, but it likely wouldn\u2019t be to a hotel in the middle of a city)<\/p>\n<p>This is a heartbreaking and devastating tragedy. Addi was so young. And her friends and other loved ones are grappling with shock. <\/p>\n<p>For most of her peers, she is likely the first person they have known who has been murdered \u2014 and perhaps their first friend who has died.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehollywoodgossip.com\/2026\/02\/tawnia-mcgeehan-mother-daughter-murder-suicide-cheerleading-trip\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 3 minutes An unthinkable tragedy has destroyed a family. Over the weekend, preteen Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan were on a trip for Addi\u2019s cheerleading team. They didn\u2019t show to the cheer meet. No one was able to get a hold of them. Police found the mother and daughter dead in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":223231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-223229","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223229"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223229\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}