Cheer competition absence leads to tragic hotel discovery

Tawnia McGeehan and Addi Smith were found dead at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)AP

Las Vegas police are investigating the deaths of a mother and daughter at the Rio Hotel & Casino in what detectives believe was a murder-suicide on Sunday, PEOPLE reports.

Hotel security discovered Tawnia McGeehan and her daughter, Addi Smith, unresponsive in their room around 2:27 p.m. on Sunday, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department press release. Both had apparent gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives believe McGeehan shot her daughter before shooting herself, police said. A note was found at the scene, though the motive remains under investigation.

The pair, who were staying at the hotel on West Flamingo Road, were reported missing after they failed to attend a cheer competition, according to ABC 4.

Police first received a welfare check request just before 11 a.m. Officers and hotel security attempted to make contact, knocking on the door and calling into the room multiple times without receiving a response.

“Patrol officers along with security personnel for the property attempted to contact the two,” the release stated. Officers left the scene because there was “no belief that either was in danger,” police said. Hotel security later entered the room after receiving additional requests to check on the mother and daughter.

“This is a sad and tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family,” Lt. Robert Price said at a press conference.

Addi was an athlete with Utah Xtreme Cheer, a Salt Lake City-based team. The organization posted about her death on Facebook, calling her “so beyond loved” and saying she “will always be a part of the UXC family.”

A GoFundMe page organized by a relative said the “heartbreaking event has left the family in deep shock and grief, struggling to come to terms with the sudden loss of Addi in such a way.”