On the morning of February 15, 2026, law enforcement in Las Vegas responded to a welfare check request at the Rio Hotel & Casino, prompted by growing concerns for the safety of 11-year-old cheerleader Addi Smith. The young athlete had failed to appear at the national JAMZ competition, an event she had been preparing for with her Utah Xtreme Cheer team. Addi had traveled from West Jordan, Utah, with her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, in what was supposed to be an exciting opportunity to showcase their skills on a national stage.
By mid-morning, repeated phone calls and text messages sent to both mother and daughter had gone unanswered, triggering alarm among coaches and family members. Concern quickly escalated, prompting hotel security and local police to respond to the room where they had been staying. Initial attempts by officers to make contact involved knocking on the door and announcing their presence, but no immediate entry was made. Hours later, after communication remained silent, hotel security accompanied by law enforcement personnel entered the room and discovered a scene that would shock both local authorities and the broader public: Addi Smith and her mother were found deceased from apparent gunshot wounds.
Authorities have indicated that preliminary evidence points toward what may have been a murder-suicide scenario. A handwritten note was reportedly recovered at the scene, though officials have withheld its contents pending the ongoing investigation. Investigators have emphasized that, despite initial assessments, the case remains open and under careful review. Ballistics testing, digital forensic analysis, and other investigative procedures are ongoing, and no definitive conclusions regarding motive or intent have been publicly confirmed.
In the wake of the tragedy, media coverage has noted a history of a contentious custody dispute within the family, though law enforcement has not drawn any official connection between past disputes and the events of that morning. What is confirmed is the sequence of events: the travel to Las Vegas for the JAMZ competition, the missed attendance at the scheduled performance, the welfare check request, the delayed hotel entry, and the tragic discovery of both mother and child. Beyond these verified details, authorities have released few additional specifics.
Adding complexity to the case, reports began circulating in the days following the incident about the possible existence of a 30-second self-recorded video allegedly taken on Tawnia McGeehan’s cellphone. No law enforcement agency has publicly confirmed the existence or authenticity of such footage. If it does exist, the recording has not been officially described in terms of content, and investigators have emphasized that any purported statements or gestures captured within it remain unverified.
Despite this, public fascination with the possibility of a final video has fueled speculation across social media platforms and in news commentary. In high-profile investigations, even small pieces of digital information—metadata, timestamps, and background sounds—can be crucial in reconstructing events. Digital forensics teams typically extract location data, device activity logs, file creation times, and environmental audio cues, all of which help establish an accurate timeline. For example, incidental sounds from television, hallways, or hallway lighting can offer investigators insights into precise moments before the tragedy unfolded.
Rumors surrounding “final words” or farewell gestures attributed to a video recording remain purely speculative. No official statement from law enforcement confirms the existence of a recording, its content, or any verbal communication captured therein. What is confirmed is the factual timeline of travel, competition attendance, missed check-ins, welfare check intervention, discovery of the scene, and the continued forensic investigation into both physical and digital evidence.
As investigators continue their work—carefully analyzing phones, hotel security footage, and forensic findings—the public record is being shaped by verified details rather than unconfirmed reports or hearsay. Any official conclusions will rely on thorough review of physical evidence, digital traces, and expert analysis, ensuring that the truth, rather than rumor, forms the basis of the case moving forward. In a situation as tragic and high-profile as this, officials caution against accepting unverified speculation, emphasizing the critical importance of patience and precision in determining what truly occurred on that fateful morning at the Rio Hotel & Casino.