The death of a newborn allegedly concealed inside a University of Kentucky cheerleader’s closet remains under investigation after preliminary autopsy findings proved inconclusive, authorities confirmed this week.
Laken Snelling, 21, a senior at the university and former member of the school’s competitive cheer STUNT team, was arrested Sunday in connection with the grim discovery. She faces charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Disturbing Discovery
On August 27, Lexington police responded to a report of an unresponsive infant at Snelling’s residence near campus. According to an arrest citation reviewed by People, officers found the body of a newborn boy “wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag” hidden in a closet.
Snelling admitted to police that she had given birth and attempted to dispose of all evidence. “She admitted to cleaning up all evidence and throwing it in a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel,” the arrest citation states.
The Fayette County Coroner’s Office confirmed the baby was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later identified Snelling as the biological mother.
Autopsy Findings
On September 3, Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said preliminary autopsy results were “inconclusive” in determining the baby’s cause of death. Additional testing, including toxicology and microscopic studies, is underway. “The death investigation remains pending the results of these studies,” Ginn noted.
Until those results are finalized, the case remains in a state of uncertainty — with critical questions still unanswered about whether the baby was born alive or stillborn.
Legal Proceedings
Snelling, originally from White Pine, Tennessee, was initially held at the Fayette County Detention Center. On September 2, she was released on $100,000 bond and placed on house arrest at her parents’ home in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
She appeared in court the same day, where she pleaded not guilty to all charges. Her attorney has not publicly commented on the case.
Under Kentucky law, the charges she faces carry serious penalties. Abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence are Class D felonies, each punishable by up to five years in prison. Concealing the birth of an infant is a Class A misdemeanor.
A Cheerleader’s Double Life
Snelling’s arrest has stunned many who knew her. Team rosters show she spent three years competing on the university’s cheer STUNT squad, a program distinct from the school’s renowned cheerleading team but still highly competitive.
Peers describe her as an active student with a promising future. “This is just so hard to process,” one classmate told local reporters. “You think you know someone, and then something like this happens.”
The University of Kentucky has not released a public statement beyond confirming that Snelling is enrolled and that the school is cooperating with law enforcement.
Broader Questions
The case highlights the complex and often hidden struggles surrounding unplanned pregnancies among young women. Advocates note that fear, stigma, and lack of resources can sometimes lead to desperate decisions.
Kentucky has a Safe Haven Law, which allows parents to safely surrender newborns at designated locations such as hospitals, fire stations, or police departments without facing prosecution. Whether Snelling knew about or considered this option is unclear.
What Comes Next
For now, investigators await final autopsy results that could determine whether additional charges will be filed. Prosecutors will need clearer evidence to establish the circumstances of the baby’s death.
Meanwhile, the story continues to reverberate across campus and in Snelling’s hometown. A once-celebrated college athlete now stands at the center of a heartbreaking criminal case, and a community is left grappling with shock, grief, and questions of how such a tragedy could unfold unseen.
