Family of child-killing Utah dance mom claims she was 'the best' mother

The family of a Utah mother who killed her 11-year-old daughter in a murder-suicide insisted that the woman was “the best mom” and was deeply devoted to her child.

34-year-old Tawnia McGeehan and her daughter, Addilyn Smith, were found dead in a room at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in February when they were in the city for a cheerleading competition. Connie McGeehan, Tawnia’s mother and Addilyn’s grandmother, said that the pair loved each other deeply and spent much of their time together. 

“Addi wanted nothing more than to spend time with her mommy. Tawnia loved that little girl with everything she had, and Addi felt the same way about her mommy,” said Connie, according to the New York Post.

An Autopsy report found that Addilyn had been given a combination of prescription medications and other drugs before her mother shot her in the head. McGehan then turned the gun on herself.

The two were discovered after police received multiple calls requesting a welfare check. Addilyn was found with her face covered by a pillow, and a pistol was sitting on McGehan’s chest. McGeehan had also left behind several confession letters at the scene, including one taped to a chair in the entrance of the room that read, “Call 911 before walking in. Two dead bodies and one is an 11-year-old.”

Another letter stated that Addilyn had been “very medicated” before her murder and that she had “slept cuddled with” her mother.

The murder-suicide occurred amid a custody battle that McGeehan was going through with her ex-husband for the past nine years. Authorities said that McGeehan was “severely depressed over breakups and on-going custody battle with her ex-husband.”

“I want more than anything for people to know how big of a heart my daughter had,” Connie said. “She would do anything for anyone. She was truly the best mom I have ever seen.”

“I cannot even begin to describe the huge hole this had left in our lives,” Connie added.