Tragedy in Las Vegas: Young man found dead in pool after party, mother questions police response
Afamily’s worst nightmare unfolds in Northwest Las Vegas
In what should have been an ordinary summer evening in Las Vegas, a mother’s worst fears came true when her 20-year-old son, TayShaun Todd, was discovered dead in a swimming pool following a house party in the northwest valley. The tragic incident has raised serious questions about emergency response procedures and the handling of missing person reports.
The timeline of a tragedy
On the evening of June 17, TayShaun Todd attended what his mother, Christina Todd-Dunn, described as only the second party of his adult life. The gathering took place at a residence in the 2600 block of Palma Vista Avenue, a quiet neighborhood in the northwest part of the valley.
According to Metropolitan Police Department records, officers first responded to the address at 8:31 p.m. that night due to complaints about a large party. The gathering was apparently shut down by police, but the evening’s events would take a devastating turn.
At 11:31 p.m., Todd-Dunn was awakened by her younger son with alarming news: TayShaun was missing. A friend who had attended the party called to report that he couldn’t find TayShaun after police dispersed the crowd and didn’t believe he had left the property. Crucially, this friend still had TayShaun’s keys, wallet, and phone – immediate red flags for the worried mother.
A mother’s desperate search
What followed was a night of anguish and frustration for Todd-Dunn. Knowing her son’s responsible nature – he was a college student who spent his time playing basketball, attending classes at the College of Southern Nevada where he studied sports management, and working – she immediately sensed something was terribly wrong.
“Do you really think I’d be out here in my pajamas looking for him if I thought that was the norm?” Todd-Dunn later told reporters, describing her interaction with responding officers. “I could have rolled back over and went to sleep, like, ‘Oh, he’ll turn up.’ But I knew something had to be wrong, because that’s not him.”
Todd-Dunn raced to the party location, calling 911 on the way and pleading for immediate assistance. Upon arrival, she confronted the homeowner, who claimed ignorance of her son’s whereabouts and insisted all party guests had left. He then asked her to leave the property.
According to Todd-Dunn, it took multiple calls filled with “begging” and “pleading” before officers arrived at the scene around 2 a.m. – approximately two and a half hours after her initial call. When they did arrive, she felt the search was inadequate. Instead of conducting a thorough investigation, she says officers questioned whether her son might be drinking, using drugs, or with a girl – suggestions that didn’t align with the young man she knew.
The devastating discovery
Todd-Dunn and her friends spent the rest of the night and following morning desperately searching. They canvassed neighborhoods, checked with surrounding businesses, called hospitals, and even visited the police station in person. Their worst fears were confirmed when Todd-Dunn returned to the house on the afternoon of June 18 to find yellow tape, ambulances, and police vehicles.
At 12:29 p.m. that day, the homeowner had called 911 to report finding a body in his pool. Audio obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal captured the chilling moment:
“Yesterday, they were — the police came here. They were looking for this kid. You know, they searched my backyard. We didn’t find him. And then this morning, we’re going into the pool, and I see, I see some guy just at the bottom of my pool.”
The body was identified as TayShaun Todd. According to information from the Clark County Coroner’s Office shared with his mother, he had been in the pool for at least 12 hours. Metro officially discovered him at 12:31 p.m. and initially classified the death as a “possible drowning.” As of Monday, the coroner’s office stated that the cause and manner of death were still pending.
Questions about the response
The tragedy has left Todd-Dunn with profound grief and unanswered questions about the police response. Metro’s own report acknowledged that officers had checked the residence the night prior but did not see Todd. This admission has only deepened the family’s anguish.
“The part that is so upsetting to me is, if the police would have got there and came when I asked them to, they could have gotten him out. He could still be alive right now,” Todd-Dunn said. “I feel like the police officers failed me. They failed my son. Y’all should have done a full search if it was a pool party and I’m saying he didn’t come up out of here. Y’all should have turned the house upside down to find him.”
The Metropolitan Police Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding the incident or their response procedures for missing person reports.
A life cut short
TayShaun Todd was more than just another tragic statistic. He was a young man with a bright future ahead of him. A student at the College of Southern Nevada studying sports management, he had secured a position as a teaching assistant set to begin in August at Pinecrest Academy of Nevada in Henderson – the same school he had attended as a student.
Those who knew him describe a young man who was the heart of his family, someone who could always lift spirits with a well-timed joke or his infectious enthusiasm for life. “If they were sad, he could tell them a joke and cheer them up. He was always the silly one. He liked to have a good time, liked for everybody to be happy,” his mother recalled.
The loss has devastated not only Todd-Dunn but also TayShaun’s two younger brothers, who looked up to him as their hero and best friend. The family is now grappling with an incomprehensible loss while seeking answers about what happened that June night.
Broader implications
This tragedy raises important questions about emergency response protocols, particularly regarding missing person reports involving young adults. The incident highlights the critical importance of thorough searches when someone is reported missing from a specific location, especially when circumstances – such as personal belongings being left behind – suggest something unusual has occurred.
As the Las Vegas community awaits the coroner’s final report on the cause and manner of TayShaun Todd’s death, his story serves as a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly a summer night can turn tragic, and how crucial timely and thorough emergency responses can be in potentially life-threatening situations.
The family continues to mourn the loss of a young man who had his whole life ahead of him – a future teaching career, a college degree in progress, and dreams that will now never be realized. In the midst of their grief, they hope that lessons learned from this tragedy might prevent another family from experiencing similar heartbreak.
Category: Local News
Subcategory: Crime & Safety
Date: 07/01/2025
