Utah Cheer Mom's Text War Preceded Apparent Murder-Suicide in Vegas Hotel
A Utah dance mom who allegedly killed herself and her 11-year-old daughter was embroiled in a brutal text war with cheer squad mothers just before their bodies were discovered, according to a devastated relative. The tragic incident has shed light on the intense pressures within competitive cheerleading circles and a complex family background.
Discovery at Rio Hotel & Casino
Tawnia McGeehan, 38, and her daughter, Addi Smith, were found inside a room at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Sunday around 2:30 p.m. following what authorities are treating as an apparent murder-suicide. The mother and daughter had traveled from Utah to Las Vegas for a cheer competition that they never attended, leaving family members and team officials shocked by the tragic turn of events.
Cheer Squad Conflict and Mean Messages
According to Tawnia's mother, Connie McGeehan, a significant rift had developed between her daughter and other mothers associated with the Utah Xtreme Cheer (UXC) team. Connie revealed that other cheer moms had been sending her daughter "mean" messages and placing blame on Addi after another girl withdrew from a recent competition.
"There's one or two ladies that she never got along with and it got really bad a month ago," Connie told the New York Post. "In the last comp they had, another girl got dropped and some of the moms were saying it was because of Addi. They were texting [Tawnia] mean stuff and blaming Addi."
The 61-year-old grandmother expressed her conviction that something transpired within the mom group that caused Tawnia to "spiral" emotionally. "Cheer was her and Addi's life," Connie said through tears, highlighting the central role the activity played in their relationship.
Team Owner's Perspective
Kory Uyetake, owner of the UXC team, confirmed that he had heard about "comments back and forth" between Tawnia and other mothers. However, he noted that nothing seemed unusual on Saturday when the team traveled to Nevada for the competition.
Uyetake described Addi, who was in her first season with the team, as consistently being "the first [to practice] every time." He added, "She was a beautiful girl and she didn't deserve this," expressing the team's collective grief over the tragedy.
Additional Conflict Details
Another source close to the cheer team revealed there had been a recent "confrontation" between Tawnia and another dance mom while they were in the team waiting room. This incident added to the growing tension that family members believe contributed to the tragic outcome.
Family Background and Living Situation
Connie shared that her daughter and granddaughter had been living in her seven-bedroom Salt Lake City home with her and other relatives for some time. She described Addi as a happy child who "loved her gymnastics, she loved her friends, she always seemed happy no matter what."
Leading up to the weekend competition, Tawnia appeared to be in good spirits according to her mother. She had made gifts for the team, purchased new clothes for the trip, and even posted joyful pictures of "Addi doing backflips" in their hotel room at 5 a.m. on Sunday—just hours before they were found dead.
Police Response and Discovery
Police were notified about the missing mother and daughter after receiving a welfare check call on Sunday morning inside the resort. Officers knocked on the door and called out to the room for more than 15 minutes before leaving without gaining entry.
Hotel security personnel then went up to the room in the early afternoon after receiving calls from concerned relatives. After knocking and receiving no response, they entered the room and discovered the two bodies inside.
Disturbing Photographic Clues
Despite seeing images of the pair in happier times just before their discovery, Connie noted that one particular photograph of Tawnia and Addi together struck her as odd. "They just looked like they were happy but then there was one pic of Addi and Tawnia together and I thought something doesn't look right," the grandmother explained. "The look was off, something had happened. Something was off."
Firearm Revelation
Connie revealed that no one in the family knew Tawnia owned a gun or carried one with her. "[We've since learned] she bought it over a year ago," Connie stated, adding another layer of mystery to the already tragic circumstances.
Complex Custody Battle Background
Following news of their deaths, it emerged that Tawnia had been involved in a complex and acrimonious custody battle with her ex-husband and Addi's father, Bradley Smith. The couple divorced in 2015 after what appears to have been a contentious separation.
The former spouses spent nine years fighting for custody of Addi, resulting in numerous court-imposed restrictions designed to minimize their contact. In the most recent ruling, the parents were ordered to park five spaces apart from each other during custody handovers, with Addi instructed to walk between the vehicles herself.
Court-Imposed Restrictions
When school was not in session, the parents were ordered to complete handovers outside the Herriman Police Department in Utah at 9 a.m. every Monday. Both parents received warnings in the custody ruling not to film the handovers and were banned from approaching one another at Addi's school events.
The court mandated that both parents "encourage and accept" a positive relationship between Addi and the opposing parent while keeping their "personal conflicts" away from the child. They also had to make Addi available for FaceTime calls on Tuesday and Friday nights at 6 p.m., with each parent given a 15-minute window to make the call or risk forfeiting it for the day.
Additional restrictions forbade the parents from criticizing each other in front of Addi and banned them from allowing their relatives to do the same in the child's presence.
Ongoing Investigation
The investigation into Tawnia and Addi's deaths remains ongoing as authorities work to piece together the exact sequence of events that led to the tragedy. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department continues to examine evidence and interview those connected to the case while the cheer community and family members mourn the devastating loss.
