A University of Kentucky senior cheerleader is facing serious charges after police discovered a newborn wrapped in a towel and stuffed inside a trash bag at her off-campus apartment.
Wrapped in a towel
Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested last month and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. She pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday, September 2.
Authorities say officers were called to an address in the 400 block of Park Avenue near the UK campus on August 27 after receiving reports of an unresponsive infant. The baby boy was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:30 a.m. on August 30.
According to the arrest citation, the infant “was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag.” Snelling admitted to police that she had given birth and then cleaned up the evidence, placing “all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel.”
Competitive cheerleading
Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn confirmed on September 3 that the autopsy results were inconclusive. “I understand the community’s concern and sensitivity surrounding the death of a child. We are conducting a thorough and methodical death investigation to ensure all facts are carefully considered,” he said. Additional testing is underway to determine the cause of death.
Snelling, who competed on the school’s competitive cheerleading STUNT team for three seasons, is originally from White Pine, Tennessee, according to an official team roster.
At the time of her arrest, she was studying Interdisciplinary Disability Studies.
