The Utah mother who killed her daughter and herself at a Las Vegas cheerleading competitors had joint custody and decision-making energy over the 11-year-old — regardless of a household court docket discovering that she dedicated home abuse in entrance of the woman, and expressing grave considerations about her parenting, The Submit can reveal.
Tawnia McGeehan, 38, had the primary say over main points within the lifetime of Addi Smith, in response to a Might 7, 2024, court docket order within the bitter 9-year custody battle with Addi’s dad, Brad Smith.
Nonetheless, 4 years earlier, Household Courtroom Commissioner Marian Ito relegated McGeehan’s parental rights to only supervised visitation and stated that her dad understood Addi’s “bodily and emotional wants” higher, in response to court docket papers.
The revelation follows questions on how the Utah courts handled McGeehan — who confronted custodial interference expenses in 2018 and a back-to-back chapter — throughout her acrimonious custody struggle with Addi’s dad.
McGeehan “has dedicated home abuse within the presence of the minor little one,” Ito wrote within the Dec. 8, 2020, order. The order didn’t specify who McGeehan abused.
And Smith “demonstrates a greater understanding of the kid’s bodily and emotional wants,” Ito wrote.
McGeehan additionally subjected Addi to “parental alienation” and her capability to guardian alongside Addi’s dad have been “significantly in query” the commissioner wrote.
Ito appointed a custody evaluator on the time to look into the custody association in place on the time.
Extra court docket papers additionally revealed {that a} choose on Oct. 19, 2020, had ordered McGeehan’s guardian time with Addi to be supervised and that three obvious members of the family and mates have been appointed because the supervisors.
A listening to was set for January 2021 to assessment the non permanent order giving Smith sole custody of Addi.
It was unclear what got here out of that listening to.
However the remaining order within the case from 2024 discovered each McGeehan and Smith to be “match and correct individuals” and awarded them “joint authorized and joint bodily custody.”
The order painstakingly laid out the custody association the place the mother and father alternated caring for Addi weekly and would have subsequent to no contact with one another throughout handoffs of the woman.
The order additionally gave McGeehan “presumptive decision-making authority” over Addi’s training, well being care, spiritual upbringing, and different main life points with a notice that Smith might take it to the choose “if he disagrees with [McGeehan’s] selections.”
McGeehan and Adi have been discovered shot lifeless on the Rio Lodge & On line casino Sunday after that they had been lacking from a cheer competitors, authorities stated.
Smith and attorneys on either side of the custody case didn’t instantly return requests for remark Wednesday.
In case you are combating suicidal ideas or are experiencing a psychological well being disaster and dwell in New York Metropolis, you may name 1-888-NYC-WELL without cost and confidential disaster counseling. When you dwell outdoors the 5 boroughs, you may dial the 24/7 Nationwide Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
