Former Kentucky cheerleader faces charges in baby’s death
Laken Snelling, a former cheerleader from the University of Kentucky, is now embroiled in a legal battle after being charged with manslaughter following the tragic death of her newborn. Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno offers insights into the case alongside discussions of a Georgia teenager involved in a teacher’s death.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, an ex-student-athlete from the University of Kentucky has admitted guilt in the case concerning her baby’s death, a heartbreaking incident wherein the infant was discovered inside a trash bag hidden in a closet.
The 22-year-old Laken Snelling, who was part of the university’s STUNT team, shifted her plea from not guilty to guilty last Friday, acknowledging her involvement in the newborn’s demise, according to FOX 56. Indicted by a Fayette County grand jury, she faces serious allegations, including abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth.
In a moment of raw emotion in court, Snelling confessed, “I was under a lot of emotional stress, and my baby came unexpectedly. And instead of helping him, I ended his life and afterward I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone,” she said through tears.
At just 21 years old, Laken Snelling is accused of concealing her deceased newborn in a closet, a chilling revelation that has captured public attention. (Getty Images/Fayette County Detention Center)
When asked by Judge Diane Minnifield how she ended the baby’s life, Snelling said: “I deprived him of oxygen.”
Commonwealth’s attorney Kimberly Baird said that Snelling’s attorney approached prosecutors as plans changed.
“This was a case that needed to go straight to the grand jury anyway, as opposed to just entering a plea,” Baird said, according to the news outlet. “The grand jury returned the indictment for first-degree manslaughter, and then they returned and suggested that offer. We accepted.”
Officers in Lexington responded to reports of an unresponsive infant on Aug. 27, 2024, and found the child’s remains inside a black trash bag, according to a news release from the city of Lexington. The baby’s body was cold.
Laken Snelling, 22, a former University of Kentucky student, has pleaded guilty in connection with the death of her newborn, who was found dead inside a trash bag in a closet. (Laken Snelling/Facebook and Fayette County Detention Center)
Snelling was arrested days later. She told staff at the University of Kentucky hospital that she heard the newborn “whimper” at birth and “guessed” he was alive, according to an affidavit previously cited by FOX 56.
The baby also showed “a little fetal movement,” the court document stated. Snelling told investigators that she was awake for 30 minutes after giving birth before passing out on top of the baby. When she woke up, she saw the newborn “turning blue and purple,” court documents state.
She believed the baby was dead, so she “wrapped him like a burrito” and laid next to him, saying it “gave her comfort,” officials said. At some point, she told her roommates that she was going to see a doctor because she had fainted from not eating.
School officials confirmed Laken Snelling was a senior at the University of Kentucky. (Getty Images)
Afterward, she picked up McDonald’s and went to the student health clinic but “did not go inside,” the affidavit stated.
A subsequent search of Snelling’s phone revealed she had deleted labor photos and evidence of the pregnancy, police said.
Snelling faces up to 10 years in prison.
News Media has reached out to Snelling’s attorney and the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for comment.