Former UK Cheerleader Arrested for Concealing Newborn's Body
The actions of Laken Snelling, formerly a competitive cheerleader at the University of Kentucky, have been investigated following allegations that she delivered a baby and subsequently concealed its body in her wardrobe.
Police documentation, secured by LEX18, indicates that Snelling, aged 21, delivered the child in the very early hours of August 27.
The ex-cheerleader informed law enforcement that she lost consciousness post-delivery, collapsing onto the newborn. Upon regaining awareness, she observed the infant's skin had taken on a “blue and purple” hue.
Convinced the baby had died, Snelling swaddled it in a towel before returning to sleep. She awoke to an alarm at 7:30 a.m., at which point she put the infant and the placenta into a black refuse bag and stored it in her closet.
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Approximately at 8:40 a.m., Snelling informed her housemates that she intended to visit a physician, citing that “she had not consumed food and felt unwell.”
Snelling bypassed her 9:30 a.m. lecture at the University of Kentucky and placed an order for McDonald's via its mobile application. Following the collection of her food, she drove to a campus medical facility but refrained from entering.
During her absence, Snelling's housemates accessed her room, discovering a “blood-saturated towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing indicators of a recent birth.”
A roommate contacted law enforcement, reporting the discovery of an infant's body that was “cold when touched.”
Snelling arrived back at her residence shortly after 10:30 a.m., at which point she was interrogated by officers.
Under interrogation, Snelling “confessed to delivering a baby” and to “hiding the birth by clearing all evidence, depositing all used cleaning materials into a black refuse bag, along with the infant, which was enveloped in a towel.”
Ultimately, Snelling was apprehended and transported to the Lexington police main office, prior to being moved to a nearby medical facility for assessment.
Snelling informed hospital personnel that the newborn exhibited slight vital signs, including a “whimper,” post-delivery.
On August 30, Snelling was formally taken into custody and faced charges of abuse of a deceased body, obstruction of physical evidence, and concealment of a newborn's birth.
She entered a plea of not guilty to all accusations during her September 2 court hearing. She secured release on a $100,000 bail and has since resided with her parents in Tennessee.
Snelling reappeared in a Lexington courtroom on Friday, September 26, where she relinquished her entitlement to a preliminary hearing. The matter will now be presented to a grand jury.
A report secured by Us Weekly on September 4 stated that the Fayette County Coroner’s Office declared the infant's cause of demise to be indeterminate, noting that “thorough microscopic examinations are vital to ascertain the cause and method of death.”
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“I acknowledge the public’s apprehension and emotional response regarding a child's passing,” Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn commented in the document. “Our office is performing a comprehensive and systematic death inquiry to guarantee all pertinent details are meticulously evaluated.”
The Lexington Police Department, in a communiqué to Us on September 8, confirmed that the inquiry into the baby's death is still “in progress.”
Before her apprehension, Snelling was enrolled at the University of Kentucky and participated in the institution's STUNT cheerleading squad.
A university representative verified to Us on September 6 that Snelling is neither a current student nor a member of the STUNT team at the institution.
