NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
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.
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)
WLEX reported that the newborn was located in a closet “wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag,” according to a police document. Snelling has since been released from jail on a $100,000 bond and was placed on house arrest. Snelling also “admitted to giving birth,” the police document indicated.
Snelling and teammates from the University of Kentucky STUNT team participated in the collegiate National Championship against California Baptist University in April in Nashville, Tennessee. Video of the competition was posted on FloCheer’s YouTube page.
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 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.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
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.”