The roommates of former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling recalled alarming behavior on the night she allegedly gave birth and hid her infant’s body in a trash bag.
Snelling’s housemates heard loud noises after she gave birth around 4 a.m. on August 27, according to documents obtained by LEX18.
At approximately 8:40 a.m. that morning, Snelling blamed the noise on her passing out. Snelling said she was going to the doctor because “she had not eaten and had not been feeling well.”
According to the documents, Snelling’s roommates had grown suspicious that she was hiding a pregnancy.
The phone records of former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling give a glimpse into her mindset before she was arrested for hiding the body of her infant in a closet. According to records obtained from the Fayette County District Court by WKYT-TV on Friday, September 26, Snelling, 21, searched “concealed or hidden pregnancy” […]
After she left the house, the roommates entered Snelling’s room and allegedly found a “blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth.”
When Snelling arrived back to the house around 10:30 a.m. — after a trip to McDonald’s — she was questioned by authorities and “admitted to giving birth” and 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 the records.
Snelling explained the loud noises during her questioning, saying she had passed out after giving birth and fell on best of the infant’s body. When she woke up, she found the baby “turning blue and purple.”
At that point, Snelling assumed the baby was dead and allegedly wrapped the newborn in a towel and went back to sleep.
When she woke up to her 7:30 a.m. alarm, Snelling placed the baby and the placenta in a black trash bag in her closet, according to the records.
Snelling was eventually arrested on August 30 and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
During a September 2 court appearance, she pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on $100,000 bond. She has been living on house arrest with her parents in Tennessee since.
Snelling returned to court on Friday, September 26, where she was supported by approximately 10 former classmates.
During the hearing, Snelling waived her right to a preliminary trial. Her case will today proceed to a grand jury.
Snelling is a former student at the University of Kentucky and a member of the school’s STUNT cheerleading team.
New chilling details about the arrest of former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling have emerged. Snelling, 21, told medical staff she guessed her baby was still alive when she gave birth and allegedly hid the infant’s body in a closet last month, according to court records obtained by WKYT-TV on Friday, September 26. […]
A university spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly on September 6 that Snelling is no longer enrolled at the school or on the STUNT team.
The infant’s cause of death was ruled inconclusive, as “extensive microscopic analyses are essential to determine the cause and manner of death,” in a report by the Fayette County Coroner’s Office obtained by Us on September 4.
“I understand the community’s concern and sensitivity surrounding the death of a child,” Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said in the report. “We are conducting a thorough and methodical death investigation to ensure all facts are carefully considered.”
The investigation into the infant’s death continues to be listed as “ongoing” by the Lexington Police Department.
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