Footage of Laken Snelling, the University of Kentucky cheerleader accused of concealing the body of her newborn, has emerged, showing her performing with the school’s STUNT team just months before the shocking discovery.
On August 27, 2025, police were called to the 21-year-old's off-campus residence in Lexington after a newborn baby was discovered wrapped in a towel and stuffed inside a black garbage bag in a closet.
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy was later inconclusive as to the cause of death, with further microscopic analyses pending.
According to the police report, Snelling confessed to giving birth and hiding the evidence by cleaning up and disposing of the baby, along with the supplies, in the same garbage bag.
Snelling has been charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The student was a member 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 far darker reason.
Snelling's arrest has sparked a series of unanswered questions, including 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.
Snelling’s most recent boyfriend, Conner Jordan, a former college basketball player, was also linked to the cheerleader before her arrest. Jordan has since deleted his social media accounts.
In the aftermath of the cheerleader's arrest, she was released on a $100,000 bond and placed under house arrest at her parents' home in Tennessee, where she is awaiting her next court appearance on September 26.
The University of Kentucky has confirmed Snelling’s involvement with the STUNT team for the past three seasons but directed all further inquiries to the Lexington Police Department.
Her enrollment status is unclear, but it has been reported that she dropped out before the start of the new semester, the Lexington Herald Leader reported.
The case remains under investigation.