Laken Snelling Case: Charges, Autopsy Finding, and Penalties

The Laken Snelling case centers on a former University of Kentucky student charged in the August 2025 death of her newborn son, whose body was found wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in her Lexington apartment closet. A Fayette County grand jury indicted her on first-degree manslaughter in March 2026, adding to earlier charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. Snelling has pleaded not guilty to all four counts and remains on house arrest at her parents’ homes in Tennessee while the case moves through pretrial proceedings.¹

What Happened at the Park Avenue Apartment

On the morning of August 27, 2025, Lexington police were called to a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue for an unresponsive infant. The baby boy was pronounced dead at the scene. Court records show he was found wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag in a bedroom closet.² A 911 caller described the infant as “cold to the touch.”³

Snelling’s roommates made the discovery, not Snelling. They had heard loud noises during the night and, unpersuaded by her explanation that she had passed out from not eating, went into her bedroom. Inside they found a blood-soaked towel, a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth, and the baby’s body in the closet.⁴ All of the roommates later told police they had suspected Snelling was pregnant but had never confirmed it with her.⁵

What Snelling Told Investigators

According to an arrest affidavit, Snelling told police she was awake for about 30 minutes after giving birth and then “passed out” on top of the baby. When she woke, she said, the infant was “turning blue and purple.” She told officers she wrapped him “like a burrito” and lay next to him for “comfort.”⁶ She also said she did not believe the baby was breathing or alive when he fell to the floor.⁷

Her account to medical staff at the University of Kentucky hospital differed. There she reportedly said the baby had “a little bit of fetal movement,” made a “whimper” noise at birth, and that she “guessed” he was alive.⁶ On the day of the incident, she drove to the UK Student Clinic but did not go inside.⁸

Investigators obtained search warrants for her phone, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and iCloud accounts. The phone search turned up multiple pregnancy-related queries, social media posts that tracked weeks of pregnancy with hashtags, and photos she allegedly took of herself in labor and later deleted.⁸

The Autopsy Finding That Changed the Case

A preliminary autopsy was initially reported as inconclusive, with Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn saying that “extensive microscopic analyses” would be needed to determine cause and manner of death.⁷ The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office later reached two conclusions: the infant was born alive, and the cause of death was “asphyxia by undetermined means.”⁹ The live-birth finding underlay the manslaughter charge that followed.

The Four Charges and Possible Penalties

Snelling was arrested four days after the baby was found and initially charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.¹⁰ On March 10, 2026, the Fayette County grand jury added first-degree manslaughter. Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird said grand jurors were presented with information about “the four levels of homicide” and “deliberated and decided that manslaughter first degree was the charge that should come out of the grand jury.”²

The four charges carry very different exposure under Kentucky law:

First-degree manslaughter under KRS 507.030 is a Class B felony carrying 10 to 20 years in prison. A person is guilty of the offense if, among other circumstances, they intentionally abuse or knowingly permit the abuse of a person 12 years of age or younger, or a physically helpless person, resulting in that person’s death.¹¹
Abuse of a corpse under KRS 525.120 is a Class D felony punishable by one to five years.¹²
Tampering with physical evidence is a felony offense under Kentucky law.
Concealing the birth of an infant under KRS 530.030 is a Class A misdemeanor, the least severe of the four.¹³

Where the Case Stands

Snelling, who was 21 at the time of her first arrest, was released from the Fayette County Detention Center on September 1, 2025, after posting a $100,000 surety bond. She was placed on house arrest at her parents’ home in Tennessee without an ankle monitor.¹⁴ After the March 2026 indictment, she was rearrested and posted a $10,000 cash bond on March 12, 2026. She was arraigned on the manslaughter charge on April 10, 2026, and pleaded not guilty.¹

Her house arrest requires her to alternate between her parents’ homes in Tennessee, with her mother’s residence designated for nighttime and her father’s for daytime.⁵

A pretrial conference on May 14, 2026, gave prosecutors an opportunity to share evidence with the defense. A status hearing set for June 2026 was pushed to August 21, 2026, after both sides filed an agreed motion citing “evidentiary issues.”¹⁵ No trial date has been set.

Who Is Laken Snelling

Snelling is from White Pine, Tennessee, a community about 40 miles east of Knoxville, and attended Jefferson County High School before enrolling at the University of Kentucky.¹⁶ At UK she was a senior and a member of the STUNT team, a competitive sport derived from cheerleading.¹⁷ She withdrew from the university in September 2025, shortly after her arrest, and a university spokesperson confirmed she was “no longer a member of the STUNT team.”¹⁸

1
LEX 18. Fayette County Grand Jury Indicts Former UK Student in Death of Infant Son
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WKYT. Former UK Student Indicted in Connection With Baby’s Death
3
FOX 56. Police Records Reveal What Happened After Finding Baby in Ex-UK Student’s Closet
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Lexington Herald-Leader. Court Documents Detail Discovery of Infant in Laken Snelling Case
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WKYT. Laken Snelling Case File Reveals Snapchat Warrant, Roommate Accounts
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NewsNation. Laken Snelling Told Cops She Fell on Infant
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Louisville Courier Journal. UK Medical Records Subpoenaed for Laken Snelling After Infant Death
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People. Kentucky Cheerleader Laken Snelling Hidden Pregnancy Phone Search Deleted Photos
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City of Lexington. Park Avenue Infant Death Investigation Arrest
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WKYT. Arrest Warrant Issued for Former UK Student Indicted in Baby’s Death
11
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. KRS 507.030 – Manslaughter in the First Degree
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Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. KRS 525.120 – Abuse of Corpse
13
Justia. KRS 530.030 – Concealing Birth of Infant
14
FOX 56. UK Student Mom of Baby Found Dead in Lexington Closet Released on House Arrest
15
FOX 56. Evidence Issues Delay Hearing for Ex-Kentucky Student Indicted in Baby’s Death
16
Knoxville News Sentinel. What to Know About Laken Snelling, UK Cheerleader and East Tennessee Native Arrested
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UK Athletics. Laken Snelling Player Page
18
New York Post. University of Kentucky Cheerleader Laken Snelling Drops Out of School