Crime
Tawnia McGeehan and her preteen daughter Addi Smith found dead inside Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Authorities have confirmed that a mother and daughter from West Jordan, Utah, who were reported missing while attending a cheer competition in Las Vegas, were found deceased inside a guest room at the Rio Hotel & Casino. Investigators are treating the case as an apparent murder-suicide.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, officers initially responded to a welfare check at the resort at approximately 10:45 a.m. Sunday after family members and friends reported being unable to reach the pair.
Police and hotel security personnel knocked repeatedly on the hotel room door and announced their presence but received no response.
At that time, officers cleared the scene without making entry.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 2:30 p.m., hotel security returned to the room and forcibly entered after continued attempts to make contact were unsuccessful.
Inside, security personnel discovered both individuals deceased. Patrol officers were notified, and the case was immediately turned over to homicide investigators.
Authorities later identified the victims as 35-year-old Tawnia McGeehan and her preteen daughter, Addi Smith, both of Utah.
Homicide Lt. Robert Price stated that investigators believe McGeehan fatally shot her daughter sometime Saturday night before taking her own life.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Lt. Price described the circumstances as “sad and tragic” and confirmed that a note was recovered during the investigation. However, he declined to disclose its contents or discuss a potential motive, citing the ongoing nature of the case.
The mother and daughter had traveled to Las Vegas to attend a cheer and dance competition but failed to appear Sunday morning, prompting concern from their Utah-based cheer organization, Utah Xtreme Cheer.
A missing persons flyer had circulated earlier identifying the two before authorities formally confirmed their deaths.
Utah Xtreme Cheer later issued a public statement expressing profound grief over the loss of Addi Smith, describing her as a deeply loved member of their athletic community and requesting privacy for the family during this difficult time.
The investigation remains open, and authorities have not released additional details regarding the circumstances leading up to the incident.
Law enforcement officials extended their condolences to the victims’ family, friends, and teammates as the community continues to process the tragic loss.
MOBILE, Ala. — One man has died and multiple others were injured following a late-night shooting in downtown Mobile, authorities confirmed.
According to the Mobile Police Department, the gunfire erupted shortly after 11:00 p.m. Sunday in the area of Dauphin Street and Joachim Street.
Mobile Police Chief William Jackson stated that officers responded immediately after reports of shots fired and discovered multiple individuals suffering from gunshot wounds.
“At approximately 11 o’clock p.m. Sunday night, shots were fired in the area of Joachim and Dauphin Street,” Jackson said. “At this time, we know there are multiple gunshot victims. We do not yet have names, and we do not know what the altercation was in reference to. We do have one individual who is deceased at a separate scene, and one who remains in critical condition. That’s the extent of the confirmed information at this point.”
Police are actively investigating two separate but related crime scenes — one at the intersection of Dauphin and Joachim streets and another in a parking lot located approximately one block away.
Authorities indicated that determining the precise number of victims has been challenging, as some individuals transported themselves to local hospitals following the shooting.
The incident occurred just hours after more than 100,000 people gathered in downtown Mobile for Mardi Gras festivities.
Chief Jackson emphasized that investigators do not believe the shooting was directly related to the celebrations.
“This had nothing to do with Mardi Gras,” Jackson said. “It may have been spillover from the Mardi Gras crowd, but at the time of the shooting, we had between 45 and 55 officers deployed in the downtown area — on foot and on horseback. We had teams positioned very close to where the shooting occurred. The area was heavily saturated with law enforcement.”
Authorities confirmed that one person of interest has been detained in connection with the investigation. However, Chief Jackson clarified that the individual has not been formally identified as a suspect.
“We are conducting interviews, and we have one person detained as a person of interest,” Jackson said. “At this time, we cannot say that he is a suspect. Detectives are actively working both scenes.”
Investigators have not yet determined how many shots were fired or whether multiple shooters were involved.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather evidence, review surveillance footage, and interview witnesses.
Additional details, including the total number of victims and updates on their medical conditions, are expected as the investigation progresses.