Father's Frantic 911 Call Preceded Tragic Murder-Suicide in Las Vegas Hotel
Bradley Smith made a desperate emergency call to Las Vegas police last weekend after his ex-wife, Tawnia McGeehan, 34, and their 11-year-old daughter, Addi Smith, disappeared during a dance competition. Calling from his home in Utah, Smith informed authorities that Addi's coach had reported the pair failed to appear at the scheduled event.
Urgent Plea for Help as Mother and Daughter Vanish
According to call logs obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Smith told dispatchers: '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 publication reported that Smith's call was among multiple requests for a welfare check on McGeehan and Addi. Police initially responded to the Rio Hotel on Sunday morning, attempting to access their room but departing after approximately fifteen minutes when they received no response.
Security Forces Entry to Discover Tragic Scene
Hotel security personnel eventually forced entry into the room, where they discovered both individuals deceased. Investigators believe McGeehan murdered her young daughter before taking her own life. Authorities confirmed earlier this week that a note was left at the scene, though its contents remain undisclosed to the public.
History of Bitter Custody Dispute and Court Interventions
The Daily Mail revealed that McGeehan and Smith had endured an exceptionally acrimonious custody battle over Addi following their divorce in 2015. Utah court officials implemented extreme measures to keep the estranged parents separated during child exchanges.
Specific court-ordered provisions included:
- Requiring the parents to park five spaces apart during handovers, with Addi walking unaccompanied between vehicles.
- Scheduling weekly Monday morning exchanges at 9am outside the Herriman Police Department in Utah when school was not in session.
- Prohibiting either parent from filming custody handovers or approaching one another at Addi's school events.
- Mandating that both parents 'encourage and accept' a positive relationship between Addi and the other parent while keeping 'personal conflicts' away from the child.
- Establishing strict FaceTime schedules on Tuesday and Friday evenings at 6pm, with each parent allotted a fifteen-minute window to initiate contact.
- Forbidding criticism of the other parent in Addi's presence, extending this prohibition to relatives as well.
- Requiring communication exclusively through the Family Wizard app, designed for high-conflict co-parenting situations, with texting permitted only for emergencies involving Addi.
Custody Reversal and Allegations of Parental Alienation
While initial divorce agreements granted McGeehan primary physical custody with shared legal custody, the court dramatically reversed this arrangement in December 2020. A judge awarded Smith sole custody after determining that McGeehan had engaged in 'behavior that is on the spectrum of parental alienation' and 'has committed domestic abuse in the presence of the minor child.'
Facebook photographs suggest Smith was a devoted father and that Addi adored him. The custody ruling documents, reviewed by the Daily Mail, provided no additional specifics regarding the abuse allegations or alienation behaviors cited by the court.
This tragic case highlights the devastating potential outcomes when high-conflict custody disputes escalate, despite extensive judicial interventions designed to protect vulnerable children caught between warring parents.
