A nearly decade-long custody fight between a Utah mother and her ex-husband ended in tragedy inside a Las Vegas hotel room, where police say 38-year-old Tawnia McGeehan fatally shot her 11-year-old daughter, Addi Smith, before dying by suicide.
The mother and daughter had traveled to Vegas for a dance competition they never attended.
Their bodies were discovered Sunday inside a room at the Rio Hotel following a frantic search by relatives after the pair failed to show up for the event, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Behind the devastating case was a bitter relationship between McGeehan and her estranged ex-husband, Bradley Smith, marked by years of court battles, strict custody rules, and deep personal conflict.
Custody exchanges required five parking spaces of separation
McGeehan and Smith divorced in 2015 under circumstances that remain unclear, though court records show the split was contentious. In August 2016, Smith listed his old wedding ring for sale on Facebook, pointedly writing in the ad: “I only wore the ring for a year.”
What followed was nine years of ongoing legal disputes over custody of Addi. The most recent court ruling, issued in May 2024, laid out strict guidelines designed to keep the parents apart during custody exchanges.
Under the order, the pair were required to meet outside Addi’s school and park five spaces apart.
Addi was instructed to walk between the two vehicles on her own. When school was not in session, exchanges were to take place outside the Herriman Police Department in Utah at 9:00AM every Monday.
Both parents were warned not to film the handovers and were barred from approaching each other at school events.
The court further ordered them to “encourage and accept” a positive relationship between Addi and the other parent and to shield the child from their “personal conflicts.”
They were also required to make Addi available for FaceTime calls every Tuesday and Friday at 6:00PM, with a 15-minute window to place the call or forfeit it for the day.
The judge prohibited either parent from criticizing the other in front of Addi and extended that restriction to family members.
“If a parent is unable to restrain a third party from making such remarks, that parent shall remove the child from the presence of that person”, the judge said.
Communication between McGeehan and Smith was limited to the Family Wizard app, which facilitates messaging between separated parents. Text messages were only permitted in the case of an emergency involving Addi.
Financial tensions also surfaced in court records. Smith was ordered to pay $288 per month in child support and, as of February 2024, was more than $9,600 behind.
Court granted father sole custody after alienation findings
When the couple first divorced, it was agreed that Addi would live with McGeehan while both parents shared joint custody. That arrangement changed in December 2020, when a judge granted Smith sole custody.
The ruling came after the court found McGeehan had subjected Addi to “behavior that is on the spectrum of parental alienation.” The judge also determined that McGeehan “has committed domestic abuse in the presence of the minor child.”
No further details about those findings were included in the documents reviewed by the Daily Mail. Of the roughly 350 filings connected to the divorce and custody dispute, most remain under seal.
Smith remarried in 2020, tying the knot with second wife McKennly. Social media photos suggest Addi shared a close bond with her stepmother, who referred to the 11-year-old as “my daughter.”
On Sunday, after McGeehan and Addi failed to appear at the dance competition, McKennly posted a photo of the pair online seeking information about their whereabouts. The search ended hours later with the discovery at the hotel.
Welfare check led to grim discovery at Las Vegas resort
Police said officers responded to a welfare check call Sunday morning at the resort. They knocked on the hotel room door and called out for more than 15 minutes, but eventually left when there was no response, per ABC4.
Later that afternoon, hotel security returned to the room after receiving additional calls from relatives of both McGeehan and Smith. After knocking and hearing nothing, security personnel entered and found the bodies inside.
Authorities said there were no reports of gunshots. A note was recovered from the room, though its contents have not been released as the investigation continues.
Addi was a member of the Utah Xtreme Cheer troupe, which issued a heartfelt tribute following her death.
They wrote: “With the heaviest hearts, we share the devastating news that our sweet athlete Addi has passed away.
“We are completely heartbroken. No words do the situation justice. She was so beyond loved, and she will always be a part of the UXC family.
“Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers and continue to send them love as they navigate this unimaginable loss.
“We ask that you respect their privacy during this time. Addi, we love you tremendously.”