A cheerleader at the University of Kentucky has been arrested after her baby’s corpse was found in her closet!
According to the Lexington Police Department in a press release, 21-year-old Laken Snelling (seen above in her mugshot) was arrested on Sunday and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. Yikes. This comes after police were dispatched to the student’s residence on the 400 block of Park Avenue on Wednesday, August 27, at around 10:30 a.m. local time for “an unresponsive infant.” Sadly, the child was “pronounced deceased at the scene.”
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According to police, after she was read her rights, the young woman “admitted to giving birth” to the child. Horrifically, the arrest citation claims the “infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag,” per Fox 19 Now. Oof. That’s heartbreaking.
The mother also reportedly “admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel,” per Lex 18. No official cause of death for the infant has been released yet. The Fayette County Coroner’s Office will determine this.
Laken, who is originally from White Pine, Tennessee, competed on the school’s competitive cheerleading stunt team for three years. In a statement obtained by The Independent, the university said in response to the arrest:
“We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the last three seasons. All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.”
Spokesperson Jay Blanton also told WKYT that Laken is a senior and currently enrolled in classes. While it remains unclear what led to this devastating death, it’s worth noting that since 2022, there has been a near-total abortion ban in effect in the state.
The cheerleader is currently being held at the Fayette County Detention Center, and an investigation is ongoing.
Such a awful situation. R.I.P. to the baby…
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Lexington Police at (859) 258-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling (859) 253-2020 or online at www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com.
[Image via Fayette County Detention Center/Lexington Police Department]