A University of Kentucky cheerleader has been charged after a deceased infant was discovered hidden in a closet at her home. Laken Ashlee Snelling, 21, faces charges of corpse abuse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Police in Lexington, Kentucky, responded to Snelling's home on 27 August following a report of a deceased infant located inside a closet. According to the arrest citation, the baby was found wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag. Snelling was read her Miranda rights and subsequently admitted to giving birth and attempting to conceal it by cleaning evidence and placing the infant in the bag.
The local coroner's office conducted an autopsy, but the cause of death was inconclusive, with further tests required. Snelling was released on a $100,000 bond and pleaded not guilty at a preliminary court appearance on Tuesday. She was ordered to live with her parents, with her next hearing set for 26 September.
Snelling had been a member of the university's competitive cheer stunt squad for three seasons. The charges of corpse abuse and tampering with physical evidence are class D felonies under Kentucky law, carrying potential sentences of one to five years in prison and fines up to $10,000.
It remains unclear whether Snelling gave birth, suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth, or underwent a self-managed abortion. Self-managed abortion is legal in Kentucky, as in most states. The case has drawn attention amid concerns over criminalisation of pregnancy loss since the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022.
