Toxicology reports have revealed that a Utah mother, Tawnia McGeehan, administered a cocktail of prescription medications to her 11-year-old daughter, Addilyn Smith, before a murder-suicide incident at a Las Vegas hotel. The pair were found dead from gunshot wounds in February at the Rio Hotel and Casino.
According to autopsy reports from the Clark County coroner, Smith had quetiapine, an antipsychotic; gabapentin, an anticonvulsant; lorazepam, an anxiety drug; and diphenhydramine, an antihistamine, in her system. McGeehan's toxicology report showed the presence of the same medications, along with eszopiclone or zopiclone, a sedative; citalopram or escitalopram, an antidepressant; and cannabinoids. Caffeine was also detected in both reports.
Handwritten notes found in the hotel room indicated that the young girl had been heavily medicated prior to her death. Following the ingestion of these substances, McGeehan fatally shot her daughter before taking her own life.
The mother and daughter were in Las Vegas for Smith's cheer competition. Police were initially called to the hotel to perform a welfare check. The incident has drawn attention to the combination of prescription drugs found in both victims' systems.