Laken Snelling, the University of Kentucky cheerleader whose dead newborn was discovered stuffed in a closet, was dating a former college basketball player, according to loved-up photos shared online.
Snelling’s boyfriend, Conner Jordan, was prominently featured in a few posts on the 21-year-old cheerleader’s social media accounts in the months leading up to her recent arrest.
However, it was unclear whether he was the father of the baby boy that Snelling is accused of wrapping in a towel, putting in a garbage bag, and hiding in her closet at her off-campus residence in Lexington.
Jordan, who was repeatedly identified by Snelling’s followers, was pictured in a TikTok post in June holding hands with the cheerleader and embracing her in a field.
Another video shows him kissing Snelling’s cheek as they danced together.
It is unclear when they began dating.
Jordan, who previously played basketball at King University and Tusculum University in Tennessee, appears to have deleted his own social media accounts following his girlfriend’s arrest.
It comes after it was revealed that Snelling had listed motherhood as one of her life goals in a social media post just months prior to this week’s grisly discovery.
Snelling listed an emoji of a mother holding a baby as one of her “goals” alongside a wedding ring, house, and money in her most recent TikTok post on June 25.
Meanwhile, Snelling appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday after being charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
She was arrested on August 31 after police responded to a call about an unresponsive infant at her home.
An autopsy has since determined that the baby’s cause of death is inconclusive.
“I understand the community’s concern and sensitivity surrounding the death of a child,” Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn stated in the coroner’s report.
“We are conducting a thorough and methodical death investigation to ensure all facts are carefully considered.”
Snelling has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
