Newly released autopsy and toxicology records have revealed that Utah mother Tawnia McGeehan and her 11-year-old daughter, Addilyn Smith, had multiple medications in their systems before McGeehan fatally shot her daughter and then herself inside a Las Vegas hotel room.
McGeehan, 34, and Addilyn were found dead at the Rio Hotel and Casino on February 15, 2026, after police were asked to conduct a welfare check. The pair had traveled from Utah for Addilyn’s cheerleading competition but never appeared at the event.
The newly released Clark County Coroner’s investigative report also details several handwritten notes McGeehan left behind inside the room.
One note had been taped to a chair partially blocking the entrance and warned first responders: “Call 911 before walking in. Two dead bodies and one is an 11-year-old.”
Tawnia Hope McGeehan, 34, of Utah, killed herself after murdering her daughter Addilyn Smith, 11, at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Feb. 15, 2026.Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary
Multiple Medications Found in Toxicology Reports
According to the toxicology findings, Addilyn had quetiapine, gabapentin, lorazepam and diphenhydramine in her system at the time of her death.
Quetiapine is an antipsychotic medication, while gabapentin is used for conditions including seizure disorders. Lorazepam is commonly prescribed for anxiety, and diphenhydramine is an antihistamine.
McGeehan’s toxicology report listed the same substances, along with eszopiclone or zopiclone, a prescription sedative; citalopram or escitalopram, antidepressant medications; desmethyl loperamide, a metabolite associated with loperamide; and cannabinoids. Caffeine was also reported in both toxicology findings.
Despite the presence of the substances, the official cause of death for both mother and daughter was gunshot wounds, rather than drug toxicity.
Investigators determined that McGeehan shot Addilyn before turning the weapon on herself.
Tawnia Hope McGeehan, 34, of Utah, killed herself after murdering her daughter Addilyn Smith, 11, at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.Facebook/Tawnia McGeehan
Disturbing Scene Inside the Hotel Room
When first responders entered the room, they found the mother and daughter lying side-by-side on one of the two beds.
A semi-automatic pistol was found on McGeehan’s chest. Addilyn was wearing pajamas and was underneath a blanket, while a pillow with a bullet hole was found over her head, according to the investigative report.
Another handwritten note reportedly said Addilyn had been “very medicated” before her death and described the girl sleeping beside her mother.
McGeehan also intentionally left Addilyn’s phone open, writing that it would allow investigators to access photographs and videos of the child.
Elsewhere in the room, police found luggage, food, prescription medication bottles bearing McGeehan’s name, an opened package of THC gummies, broken or empty gabapentin capsules and a clear cup containing white residue.
McGeehan gave her daughter Addilyn Smith a cocktail of prescription medications before shooting the girl and herself in a grisly murder-suicide.Facebook/Tawnia McGeehan
A Nine-Year Custody Dispute
Investigators were told that McGeehan had been struggling with severe depression and had previously experienced suicidal thoughts.
The coroner’s report also connected her distress to relationship breakups and an ongoing custody dispute with Addilyn’s father, Bradley Smith.
The couple divorced in 2015, and court records show they continued to have disputes involving custody, child support and their daughter’s schooling for years afterward.
Court records reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal show that a Utah judge modified the custody arrangement in 2020, temporarily awarding Smith sole custody. The judge also found that McGeehan had committed domestic abuse in the presence of the child and described other conduct involving parental alienation. In 2021, McGeehan’s visits were ordered to be supervised by friends and relatives.
Because some of the custody records remain sealed, the precise custody arrangement in place at the time of the deaths was not publicly clear.
Addilyn Had Been in Las Vegas for Cheerleading
Addilyn was a member of Utah Xtreme Cheer and had traveled to Las Vegas with her mother for a scheduled competition.
When neither mother nor daughter appeared, people close to Addilyn became concerned. Her father contacted police from Utah, while a coach also called to report that the girl had not arrived at the competition and was not responding to messages. A second call from the coach raised concerns that Addilyn could be in imminent danger.
Police and hotel security eventually went to the room and discovered the two bodies.
Addilyn’s death left her cheerleading community devastated.
Utah Xtreme Cheer described the young athlete as deeply loved and said she would remain part of the organization’s family.
The newly released toxicology and autopsy records provide further details about the final hours of a case that had already raised serious questions for investigators, while the documents also underscore the longstanding family and custody circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
