Former University of Kentucky athlete competed months before police allegedly found dead infant in closet
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Former University of Kentucky student-athlete Laken Snelling was seen performing with her school’s STUNT team months before detectives say they found her newborn infant inside a closet wrapped in a trash bag.

Snelling, 21, was taken into custody on Aug. 31 by Lexington Police Department officers who were responding to a call regarding an unresponsive infant, officials said. Police said the infant was “pronounced deceased at the scene,” adding that Snelling was the infant’s mother.

An autopsy on the male infant was inconclusive, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office, noting that extensive microscopic analysis would be needed.

Snelling was charged with tampering with physical evidence, concealing the birth of an infant and abuse of a corpse. She has pleaded not guilty.

(L) Laken Snelling is seen smiling in a picture taken while at the University of Kentucky (R) Laken Snelling in a booking picture.

Police took snelling into custody on Aug. 31. (Laken Snelling/Facebook and Fayette County Detention Center)

Snelling was seen being held up by teammates while performing a routine.

A University of Kentucky spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Snelling has since dropped out of school.

University of Kentucky entrance

School officials confirmed Laken Snelling was a senior at the University of Kentucky. (Getty Images)

Snelling was a senior at the University of Kentucky and a member of the STUNT team, according to a university spokesperson. The university describes STUNT as a “head-to-head competition between two teams that focuses on the technical and athletic aspects of cheer,” which is “one of the fastest-growing female sports in the United States.”

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