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The ex-University of Kentucky student-athlete who’s accused of hiding her dead newborn inside a closet heard the infant “whimper” before hiding him inside a closet, according to new court documents.
Laken Snelling, 21, was taken into custody by Lexington Police Department officers on Aug. 31 after they responded to a call regarding an unresponsive infant, officials said. The baby was “pronounced deceased at the scene,” according to police.
Snelling told staff at the University of Kentucky hospital that she heard the newborn “whimper” at birth and “guessed” he was alive, an affidavit stated, according to FOX56. According to the court document, Snelling’s baby also showed “a little fetal movement.”
Police reportedly found the baby inside a trash bag located in a closet and was cold to the touch, the document revealed.
AUTOPSY RESULTS DEEPEN MYSTERY OF INFANT ALLEGEDLY FOUND DEAD IN UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ATHLETE’S CLOSET
Police took snelling into custody on Aug. 31. (Laken Snelling/Facebook and Fayette County Detention Center)
Snelling’s roommates also texted each other after they heard loud noises, according to the affidavit. Snelling also allegedly told her roommates that she was going to see a doctor because she fainted from not eating.
After telling her roommates she was going to see a doctor, Snelling picked up McDonald’s and went to the student health clinic but “did not go inside,” according to the affidavit.
Snelling reportedly told police that she was awake for nearly 30 minutes after delivering the baby, when she then passed out on top of the newborn. According to the court document, when she woke up, she saw the newborn baby boy “turning blue and purple.”
KENTUCKY COLLEGE ATHLETE ACCUSED OF HIDING DEAD BABY IN CLOSET WAS ‘SERIAL BULLY,’ FORMER CLASSMATE SAYS
University of Kentucky student Laken Snelling was arrested on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Getty Images; UK Athletics)
She believed the baby was dead and “wrapped him like a burrito” and laid next to him, saying it “gave her comfort,” according to officials.
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Pedestrians walk along Rose Street on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. (Getty Images)
A subsequent search of Snelling’s phone revealed that she had deleted labor photos and evidence of the pregnancy, police said.
Snelling was charged with tampering with physical evidence, concealing the birth of an infant and abuse of a corpse. She has pleaded not guilty.
Fox News Digital reached out to Snelling’s lawyer for comment.