Disturbing new details have emerged following the tragic discovery of a University of Kentucky cheerleader's deceased newborn baby.
As previously reported, Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested just days after her lifeless baby boy was found discarded in a trash bag inside a closet at her Lexington property on August 27.
According to a 911 call released by the Lexington Herald-Leader, the caller described the baby as “cold to the touch” when discovered, a detail that further suggests the infant had been dead for some time before being found.
The emergency call came in at 10:34AM, prompting responders to rush to the property. The police arrived just seven minutes later, CBS affiliate WKYT-TV reported.
At the time of the discovery, Snelling was not at the property, and police found her later that morning at 11AM.
An autopsy was conducted, but the cause of death remains inconclusive, with additional tests scheduled for further investigation. The circumstances surrounding the baby’s death continue to raise questions.
Snelling, who had admitted to giving birth and cleaning up after the event, was booked in the Fayette County Detention Center on August 31 - four days after the discovery.
She has been charged with concealing the birth of a child, and authorities confirmed that she confessed to placing cleaning supplies inside the trash bag along with her deceased baby.
During her first court appearance on September 2, she appeared somber and downcast. She was placed under house arrest, and the legal proceedings are set to continue.
The arrest has raised several unanswered questions, particularly regarding the identity of the baby’s father.
Her ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Izaiah Hall, a quarterback at Cumberland University, was asked to provide a DNA sample to confirm if he is the father. Hall’s father, Justin Smith, said: "Lexington police had him come down to the station to give a sample. I don’t know anything on this, and we don’t know if Izaiah is the father or not," per Sky News Australia.
Additionally, Snelling’s most recent boyfriend, Conner Jordan, a former college basketball player, was linked to her prior to her arrest. Jordan has since deleted all his social media accounts.
Snelling had been a member of the University of Kentucky’s competitive cheer team for three seasons and was featured in clips from the National Championship held in Nashville, Tennessee, in April.
In a video that has surfaced online, she can be seen performing stunts, being hoisted by teammates, and flipping other members of the team.
However, just months after this footage was posted and removed from FloCheer’s YouTube page, Snelling would be arrested for a tragic reason.
Snelling is scheduled to return to court for her next hearing on September 26, as the investigation into her baby’s death continues.