Details have emerged in the death investigation involving former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling.
Snelling, 21, was arrested on August 30, and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
During an interview with authorities, Snelling “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.”
According to an incident report obtained by Lexington’s Fox 56, the third event who called 911 reported the deceased infant was “cold to the touch.”
New details are being revealed in the case regarding cheerleader Laken Snelling and her baby’s death. According to a Lexington Police Department incident report obtained by Fox 56, an initial 911 call was placed on August 27 just after 10:30 a.m. Although the caller’s name and phone number have been redacted from the report, the […]
“Complainant just found a dead baby in a closet,” the dispatcher said, according to the report.
The caller’s name and phone number were redacted from the report.
When asked to estimate how long the baby had been dead by the time authorities arrived, FOX 56’s Chief Medical Contributor, Dr. Ryan Stanton, said, “Likely, at least, more than a few hours.”
The incident report stated that CPR was not started on the infant, which Stanton said indicated “obvious signs of death.”
According to the report, the fire department showed up to Snelling’s house less than a minute after the 911 call was made. Police followed about seven minutes later.
“The fire department’s going to dispatch what they need, and they send what they need and then send home what they don’t,” FOX 56 News Crime and Safety Expert Don Evans explained. “That’s sort of the protocol. For police, it’s a little different. As the police have a crime scene, you need several officers to set that up; they may need to close a street. They may just set up a perimeter; they may need to do a neighborhood investigation, as well.”
The infant’s manner of death was listed as inconclusive, according to a coroner’s report obtained by Us Weekly on September 4.
Snelling, a former cheerleader on the University of Kentucky STUNT team, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
She was released on a $100,000 bond and is currently living on “home incarceration with no ankle monitor” with her parents in Tennessee.
A spokesperson for the University of Kentucky confirmed to Us on Friday, September 6, that Snelling is no longer enrolled at the school or on the STUNT team.
Snelling’s preliminary court date is scheduled for September 26.
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