Chilling twist in case of cheerleader whose newborn was found dead in closet
Warning: this article discusses the death of a child which some readers may find distressing
A major update on the cheerleader who placed her newborn baby boy in a garbage bag and left him in a closet has been revealed.
Just last month, 21-year-old Laken Snelling was arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant after police responded to an unresponsive infant.
Police said in a statement at the time: "On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, around 10:30 a.m., officers were dispatched for an unresponsive infant at a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue. When officers arrived, they located an infant that was pronounced deceased at the scene.
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"Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested on August 31, 2025, and charged with Abuse of a Corpse, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Concealing the Birth of an Infant.
"She is currently being held at the Fayette County Detention Center. Ms. Snelling is the infant’s mother."
According to an arrest citation obtained by LEX 18 News, the University of Kentucky student admitted to giving birth to the baby and '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'.
Since her arrest, she has pleaded not guilty to the charges levied against her and appeared in court yesterday (September 26), where she waived her right to a preliminary hearing.
The cheerleader is living with her parents as she was released on a $100,000 bond by a Fayette District Court judge on September 2, and is awaiting sentencing.
Previously, the coroner was working out just how the baby boy had died, as Snelling initially told police she had fallen unconscious on top of the newborn and awoke to him discolored and unresponsive. However, she later admitted something that is a major update in the case of his death.
According to newly released court documents, Snelling revealed a different story.
Newly unveiled court documents show that when Snelling was transported to UK Hospital, the day after she gave birth, she spoke to staff at the University of Kentucky's Labor and Delivery unit.
It was there that she admitted the baby had shown 'a little bit of fetal movement' and made a 'whimper' sound, which she 'guessed' meant he was alive at birth.
According to the Kentucky Kernel, the infant appeared to be full term.
Snelling was studying Interdisciplinary Disability Studies before she dropped out. She had also been a member of the University of Kentucky's competitive cheerleading STUNT team, and had made a post on TikTok which listed out her future aspirations for the year ahead before her arrest.
Her video showed her plans using emojis, which included an engagement ring, a house, money, and a picture of a woman feeding a baby a bottle.
Kentucky laws prohibit abortions unless in the case of life-threatening situations for the mother.
Britt Jones