A Kentucky beauty queen and cheerleader has been arrested for allegedly giving birth in secret and concealing her dead newborn in a closet.
Police arrested Laken Snelling, 21, on Saturday and charged him with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
On Wednesday morning, officers in Lexington were dispatched to a home on the 400 block of Park Avenue in response to reports of an unresponsive infant.
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene around 10.30 a.m., according to local news outlet LEX 18.
According to an arrest citation obtained by the outlet, the “infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag.”
Snelling, a senior at the University of Kentucky and a member of the school’s competitive STUNT cheerleading team, admitted to officers that she had given birth after being read her rights, according to police records.
Afterward, she “admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel,” according to the citation.
According to The Independent, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office had not determined the child’s cause of death as of Monday.
Snelling remains in custody at the Fayette County Detention Center while the Special Victims Section of the police department conducts an investigation.
The University of Kentucky confirmed her participation in the athletic program, telling LEX 18: “We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the previous three seasons.
“All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.”
On social media, Snelling portrayed herself as a beauty queen, promoting pageants and sharing her goals.
Just weeks before her arrest, she wrote in a June 11 post, “There is a pageant for everyone!”
In another video from the same month, she discussed her life goals, including becoming a mother and starting a family.
Snelling, originally from White Pine, Tennessee, was studying Interdisciplinary Disability Studies at the University of Kentucky.
The case is set against the backdrop of Kentucky’s restrictive abortion laws.
Since 2022, the state has enforced a nearly complete ban, with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Terminations are only permitted to prevent a “substantial risk of death” or “serious, permanent impairment of a life-sustaining organ” for the pregnant woman.
Critics claim that the restrictions have limited young women’s access to reproductive healthcare, forcing some into desperate situations.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Lexington Police at 859-258-3600.
You can also leave an anonymous tip with Bluegrass Crime Stoppers at (859) 253-2020 or online at www.bluegrasscrimestoppers.com.
