Inside the Chilling Final Act: How a Utah ‘Dance Mom’ Engineered a Shocking Murder-Suicide Amid Bitter Custody War

According to the report, a chair had been placed in front of the door, with a note that read, “Call 911 before walking in. Two bodies and one is 11 years old.”

“Based on the preliminary evidence at the scene,” police said following the tragedy. “Detectives were able to determine the mother shot her daughter before shooting herself.”

Two other notes were found, detailing McGeehan’s plan to leave her phone unlocked for viewing images of her daughter, and how she had been heavily medicated.

Over-the-counter medicine, prescription pills, and an opened bag of THC gummies were found at the scene, though the autopsy report’s official cause of death was ruled as a gunshot wound to the head.

Three shell casings were found on the floor with the gun laid on McGeehan’s chest.

The two were side-by-side on the bed inside the hotel room.

Smith was found tucked under a blanket in PJs with a pillow over her face, indicating the entry point for the gunshot.

The concoction of drugs found in both Smith and McGeehan included gabapentin, quetiapine, diphenhydramine, and lorazepam. McGeehan also had the sedative eszopiclone/zopiclone and the antidepressant citalopram/escitalopram.

The report concluded McGeehan had been severely depressed for years due to her ongoing custody battle, which started in 2015.

She and her ex-husband Brad Smith finally reached an agreement in 2024 for joint legal and physical custody with alternating weeks.

According to records, there were multiple custody modifications after their split, including a temporary custody award to Addi’s father in May 2020.

In 2024, according to documents, she appeared to retain much of the control over their daughter.

McGeehan’s family told investigators that she had a past with prescription medication and suicidal ideation.