Former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling requested medical assistance after allegedly giving birth and hiding her baby in a closet.
Snelling, 21, asked to be “checked out” after arriving at police headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, according to an incident report obtained by Fox 56 News.
An emergency care unit was dispatched to the police station shortly after Snelling’s request.
“Before you book somebody in, before you interview them, obviously, you’re going to give them what medical attention they need immediately,” FOX 56 News crime and safety expert Don Evans explained.
Laken Snelling’s Baby Was Dead for ‘More Than a Few Hours’ Before Found
Police were called to Snelling’s home in Lexington on August 27 after receiving a call at 10:34 a.m. about an unresponsive infant.
The caller, whose name has been redacted from the incident report, said the baby was “cold to the touch.”
On the scene, authorities observed that the “infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag.”
According to the report, Snelling was not at home when authorities arrived. She was located nearby at 11:18 a.m. and arrived at Lexington Police Department headquarters around noon.
Snelling was considered under arrest at 4:58 p.m., but wouldn’t be booked in the Fayette County Detention Center until August 31, three days after receiving the 911 call.
During an interview with authorities, Snelling “admitted to giving birth” and 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.”
Snelling was charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
She pleaded not guilty to all charges during a court appearance on September 2. Snelling was released on $100,000 bond and is currently living on “home incarceration with no ankle monitor” with her parents in Tennessee.
The infant’s cause of death was ruled as inconclusive, according to a report from the Fayette County Coroner’s Office obtained by Us Weekly on September 4.
Cheerleader Laken Snelling Dressed Up as Pregnant Woman for Halloween 2024
A spokesperson for the Lexington Police Department told Us on September 8 that the investigation into the infant’s death remains “ongoing.”
Snelling is a former cheerleader on the University of Kentucky’s STUNT team.
A spokesperson for the University of Kentucky confirmed to Us on September 6 that Snelling is no longer enrolled at the school or on the STUNT team.
Snelling’s preliminary court date is scheduled for September 26.
