A University of Kentucky cheerleader and beauty queen has been arrested after allegedly giving birth in secret and concealing her newborn’s body inside a closet.
Police said Laken Snelling, 21, was taken into custody on Saturday and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Infant found dead in closet, police sayAccording to the Lexington Police Department, officers responded to a home on Park Avenue last Wednesday morning after receiving reports of an unresponsive infant. The baby was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:30 a.m, per The Independent.
An arrest citation revealed the infant’s body was discovered “wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag.” Snelling, who had been read her rights, later admitted to giving birth and concealing evidence of the delivery.
She allegedly told officers she cleaned up the scene, placed the items used during the birth into a trash bag, and included the infant’s body inside.
As of Monday, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office had not yet determined the cause of death. The case remains under investigation by the police department’s Special Victims Section.
Cheerleader and beauty pageant contestant facing chargesSnelling, who is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center, was an active member of the University of Kentucky’s stunt team, a competitive cheer program.
“We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the last three seasons,” the university said in a statement to local news outlet, LEX 18. “All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.”
Snelling, originally from White Pine, Tennessee, was pursuing a degree in Interdisciplinary Disability Studies.
On social media, she frequently posted about upcoming beauty pageants and shared her ambitions of one day starting a family.
In a June post, she captioned: “There is a pageant for EVERYONE!” Another video from the same month showed her speaking about her goals in life; to be a mother and raise a family.
Case highlights Kentucky's strict abortion banThe case comes against the backdrop of Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban, which has been in effect since 2022.
The law provides no exceptions for rape or incest and only allows abortion if necessary to prevent death or permanent impairment of a pregnant person’s vital organ, the Center Reproductive Rights, a global human rights organization focused on women's reproductive rights, states.
Legal experts note that the state’s restrictive laws may put young women in particularly vulnerable situations, with few options available for those facing unexpected pregnancies.
As the investigation continues, prosecutors will determine whether additional charges may be filed against Snelling.
The disturbing case has shocked both the University of Kentucky community and Snelling’s hometown, where she was known for her cheerleading, pageant appearances, and seemingly bright future.