Laken Snelling: Kentucky cheerleader arrested after allegedly hiding dead newborn’s body in a closet
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
A student and cheerleader at the University of Kentucky has been arrested after the shocking discovery of her newborn baby’s corpse in a closet.
Police were called to a home in Lexington for a report of an unresponsive infant on Wednesday morning, where 21-year-old Laken Snelling revealed she had given birth in the home.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Ms Snelling admitted to police that she concealed the birth by “cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel,” according to a police report obtained by local news station LEX 18.
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ms Snelling was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with the abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
As of Monday, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office had not yet determined the baby’s cause of death.
Ms Snelling is listed on the University of Kentucky’s athletics website as a member of the stunt team, a competitive cheerleader program, which she has reportedly been part of for the past three years.
According to the team’s official roster, the athlete is from White Town, Tennessee and was a student at Jefferson County High School.
In Kentucky, abortion is completely banned in almost all circumstances, with very limited exceptions due to a state law that came into effect in July 2022.
