Newborn Found Dead in Closet Was Born Alive, Autopsy Reveals — Ex-Cheerleader Charged With Manslaughter

A former cheerleader at the University of Kentucky has been charged with first-degree manslaughter after her newborn son was discovered dead in a closet in August 2025. The Fayette County grand jury returned the indictment on March 10 after a medical report determined that the child had been born alive.

Laken Snelling, 21, a former Kentucky University cheerleader was indicted on March 10 by the Fayette County grand jury on one count of first-degree manslaughter.

According to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s office, investigators determined the baby was alive after birth and died from asphyxia by strangulation, according to WKYT.

Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird said, “They were given the information about the homicide, then deliberated and decided that first-degree manslaughter was the charge that should come out of the grand jury.”

Snelling was originally charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. Snelling pleaded not guilty to those charges and has been on house arrest at her family home in Tennessee.

Following her arrest, Snelling withdrew from the University of Kentucky and is no longer a member of the STUNT team.

Snelling faces up to 20 years in prison for the first-degree manslaughter charge and an additional 11 years for the other charges if she is convicted.

Authorities said the 21-year-old gave birth to a baby boy at about 4 a.m. on August 27, 2025, in her off-campus home in Lexington.

Her roommates told police they suspected Snelling had been concealing a pregnancy and said they heard loud, unusual noises from her bedroom during the early morning hours.

Investigators said, after the birth, she allegedly cleaned blood from the scene, took a shower and left the home.

Authorities said she skipped morning classes and a scheduled visit to a university clinic and went to McDonald's.

After Snelling left, her roommates entered her room and found a blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic what appeared to be evidence of childbirth.

The roommates discovered the newborn inside a black plastic bag in the closet and called 911, telling the operator the infant was “cold to the touch.” When Snelling returned home, officers were waiting and took her into custody.

Snelling initially told police the baby fell to the floor during the birth and that she did not believe if he was “breathing or alive.”

She later told investigators that she passed out “on top of the baby” and woke up to find the “infant turning blue and purple.”

According to court documents, Snelling admitted that she “wrapped the baby like a burrito and lay next to it,” because it “gave her a little comfort in the moment.”