News

Tragedy in Las Vegas ... a mother allegedly shot and killed her 11-year-old cheerleader daughter before turning the gun on herself in a suspected murder-suicide.

Cops say 38-year-old Tawnia McGeehan and her daughter, Addi Smith, were found dead Sunday in a room at the Rio Hotel & Casino, with what appeared to be a suicide note left behind.

The Utah mom and daughter were in town for a cheer competition ... but when they didn’t show, their team, Utah Xtreme Cheer, sounded the alarm on social media, asking for help finding them.

The inmate who beat the hell out of wife-killer Scott Peterson during a prison pickleball match has sidestepped criminal charges, TMZ has learned.

In March 2025, TMZ broke the story ... Peterson and fellow inmate Charles Miles got into a fight while playing pickleball at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California -- and it ended with Peterson getting his ass whooped.

Now, after an investigation, it looks like Miles is off the hook -- criminally speaking. Amador County District Attorney Scott Riebe tells TMZ ... "Mule Creek (State Prison) will not be referring the case to our office for prosecution."

As for why the case won't be referred ... Riebe declined to comment, pointing us to prison officials for the answer. We've reached out to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ... so far no word back.

An expatriate American hotel owner from a prominent surfing family in California was brutally killed in Costa Rica this weekend … and local police are on the hunt for suspects.

Kurt Van Dyke -- a 66-year-old Northern California native who owned a tourist hotel in Costa Rica -- was found stabbed and strangled in bed in an apartment in Hone Creek, Cahuita, Talamanca, according to local reports ... his girlfriend was found tied up but otherwise uninjured at the scene.

Police responded to a report of a break-in and attack at an apartment at 10:50 AM local time Saturday in Cahuita, on the Caribbean coast near the Panama border … about 10 miles from the hotel Van Dyke owned. They found Van Dyke with multiple stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation.

Newly crowned Miss Universe Fátima Bosch Fernández experienced a sudden collapse in front of a crowd of thousands Sunday ... giving attendees at the Fruit and Flower Festival in Ecuador quite the scare.

As Fátima was enjoying her moment, waving and blowing kisses to the crowd, her energy quickly seemed to shift as she struggled to stand ... suddenly falling to her knees.

Watch the video ... officials working the event immediately jumped in to attend to the Mexican model, who was crowned Miss Universe 2025 in November. She was later attended to by paramedics at the scene, and she was relieved of her duties for the day to undergo tests.

The Miss Universe Organization and Fátima herself have yet to address the cause of the alarming drop ... but she handled the situation ever so elegantly like the royalty she is.

Barack Obama sent the internet into a frenzy after saying aliens are real during a recent podcast appearance ... but now the former prez is walking it back, saying he's never seen any evidence of extraterrestrials while in office.

ICYMI ... 44 sat down with Bryan Tyler Cohen, who asked him point blank whether aliens are real. Obama replied, "They’re real, but I haven’t seen them," before joking they're not being kept at Area 51 -- adding there's no underground facility ... unless there was some "enormous conspiracy" being kept from him.

Obama's comments spread like wildfire ... leading to him issuing a follow-up statement softening any definitive claim. He explains, "I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention, let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there."

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos isn't taking any crap from people criticizing how he and his investigators are handling the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping.

On Sunday, Nanos was interviewed by a Daily Mail reporter about the case and, at one point, their convo turned to the sheriff's critics, who have slammed him and his detectives for allegedly packing up and leaving the crime scene early.

But Nanos stood his ground, insisting his officers thoroughly investigated Guthrie's property and he feels confident they did their job properly before the FBI swooped in and did another sweep.

The sheriff noted, "My officers were there for almost 20 hours, and they processed their scene, got it done, and brought in all the evidence." Nanos then said the FBI came in and "did their thing."

Kristin Cabot -- one half of the duo who went viral after getting caught cozying up at a Coldplay concert last year -- is doing some serious image rehab in Florida ... stepping out in a revealing blue bikini.

The former Astronomer chief people officer was snapped hitting the beach Friday, rocking a sunhat and two-piece while splashing in the waves and soaking up the sun.

It's safe to say, she looked relaxed -- a far cry from the firestorm following that infamous kiss cam moment with her boss, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron. The clip blew up online and ultimately led to her resignation.

Manchester Orchestra is reeling after the sudden death of their longtime drummer Timothy Very.

The Atlanta-based indie rock band broke the heartbreaking news Saturday, telling fans they're struggling to process the loss of the man they called the "foundation" of their universe. In their emotional statement, the group admitted they had been "dreading sharing this news" and are still in "absolute disbelief."

Very joined Manchester Orchestra back in 2011 and went on to become the longest serving drummer in the band's history. Over more than a decade, his thunderous playing powered some of the band's biggest records. Offstage, the band says he was pure heart.

The investigation into Nancy Guthrie's case just took a major forensic turn ... TMZ has confirmed.

An FBI spokesperson tells TMZ ... a glove recovered in the case appears to visually match the gloves worn by the unidentified subject captured on the security camera footage released from Nancy's front door camera ... and DNA found inside the glove has been sent for analysis.

According to the feds, investigators collected roughly 16 gloves scattered around areas near the house. But authorities say most of those belonged to volunteer searchers who tossed them aside while combing the neighborhood.

Nancy Guthrie could be found one hour from now ... or it could take weeks ... or even years to locate her.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos made the sobering remarks in a recent interview with the New York Times, underscoring the very real possibility Nancy's kidnapping case could drag on for quite some time.

But Nanos also assured the public that investigators will ultimately "find" the suspect, or suspects, responsible for abducting Nancy from her Tucson, Arizona, home in the wee hours of February 1.

Nancy Guthrie's kidnapper has eluded authorities for 2 weeks, but the ransom note TMZ received is of intense interest to the FBI, and Harvey Levin and Mark Geragos both agree ... it may be the key to cracking the case.

H&M's latest "2 Angry Men" podcast makes it clear ... the FBI is laser focused on that ransom letter, for reasons we cannot publicly discuss. They are also interested in the man who has sent TMZ 3 demand emails asking for bitcoin in return for giving up the kidnapper's name. BTW ... the man says the kidnapper is the "main individual" -- meaning there's more than one person involved.

Law enforcement's dramatic move Friday night apparently did not yield results, but there are a number of clues, including unknown DNA found in Nancy's house. It's currently being analyzed.

The swat operation Friday night -- leading to the detention of a driver in the Tucson area and the search of a home -- appears to be something other than a direct lead from the ransom note TMZ received.

Harvey Levin appeared on CNN Saturday morning, breaking down the limited information we know at this time. A law enforcement source involved in the investigation told him this morning neither the ransom note we received nor the reward demand emails we received were the trigger for last night's action.

We have not confirmed, but it appears ... the main target last night was someone in a vehicle in the Tucson area. Again, it appears but is not confirmed ... the search of the house is connected to the traffic stop. 2 people were taken out of the house, and it was searched for several hours.

Police reportedly detained at least 3 people in connection with the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping ... and now we're seeing the first image of a man in handcuffs.

FOX News Digital obtained the photo showing the man sitting half in and half out of a Pima County Sheriff vehicle surrounded by law enforcement in Tucson, Arizona, on Friday night. The man's hands are cuffed in front of him with a hoodie partially covering his face.

Sources told FOX ... Pima County deputies pulled the man over in a Range Rover during a traffic stop in the parking lot of a Culver's restaurant about 2 miles from Nancy's home.

Move aside, Melania -- Donald Trump's White House is celebrating Valentine's Day with some cheeky cards that applaud the administration's accomplishments ... while mocking the left.

Check out the V-Day cards the White House posted to ring in the holiday -- the first shows handcuffed and blindfolded Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being flown out of Venezuela after the U.S. captured him in January, with the saying ... "You captured my heart."

Next up shows the prez holding an executive order that reads "UR My Valentine" ... while another has a photo of Sen. Chris Van Hollen sitting with former ICE detainee Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. The image is framed in a heart and shares 2 messages -- "My love for you is as strong as Democrats love for illegal aliens" and "I'd fly 1,537 miles to have a drink with you!"

11 AM PST -- The Prima County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... "Last night, a federal court-ordered search warrant was executed at a residence near E. Orange Grove Rd. and N. First Ave. in connection with the Guthrie case. The warrant was based on a lead we received. No arrests were made."

They add ... "A traffic stop was also conducted, and a person was questioned but no arrests resulted from that incident. There are no further details available at this time."

Federal agents in Arizona may have snagged another crucial lead in the search for Nancy Guthrie ... because cops were seen poking around a potential vehicle of interest at a Tucson restaurant near her home Friday night.

11:00 AM PT -- The Pima County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... a federal court-ordered search warrant was executed at a residence near E. Orange Grove Rd. and N. First Ave. Friday night, which was connectde to the Guthrie case.No arrests were made.

There was also a traffic stop conducted, and a person was questioned. Again, no arrests resulted.

11:53 PM PT -- Fox News has reported that at least three people have been detained in connection with the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, according to a local law enforcement source.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the activity at the neighboring residence is connected to the Guthrie investigation ... however, they’re keeping details under lock and key due to the joint nature of the investigation and a request from the FBI to stay tight-lipped.

Cops also clarified online speculation saying ... "Reporting that current law enforcement activity is surrounding a home belonging to a former county attorney is NOT accurate."

It looks like the biggest break yet in the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping ... Pima County deputies are swarming a home in the Tucson area, and apparently, taking multiple people into custody.