Former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader Laken Snelling appeared in court and announced a major development after she was charged with hiding her deceased newborn baby in a closet.
Snelling, 21, waived her right to a preliminary trial during a brief appearance with her attorney in a Lexington, Kentucky courtroom on Friday, September 26.
The case against Snelling now proceeds to a grand jury.
Snelling wore a black dress and had her blonde hair down for the court appearance, which lasted mere minutes.
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When Snelling was asked by the judge about her right to a preliminary hearing and to confirm that she desired to waive it, she softly said, “Yes.”
Shortly after, Snelling was escorted out of the courtroom by a small group.
Us Weekly has reached out to Snelling’s attorney for comment.
It was Snelling’s first public appearance since she pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant during a September 2 court hearing.
She was released on $100,000 bond and has been living on “home incarceration with no ankle monitor” with her parents in Tennessee.
Snelling — a former student at Kentucky and cheerleader on the school’s STUNT team —was arrested on August 30 at her home in Lexington.
After a third party called the police about an unresponsive infant, described as being “cold to the touch,” at Snelling’s home on August 27, authorities found the baby in a closet.
The “infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag,” according to an arrest citation.
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.”
The baby’s cause of death was ruled inconclusive and “extensive microscopic analyses are essential to determine the cause and manner of death,” according to a report from the Fayette County Coroner’s Office obtained by Us Weekly on September 4.
“I understand the community’s concern and sensitivity surrounding the death of a child,” Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said in the report. “We are conducting a thorough and methodical death investigation to ensure all facts are carefully considered.”
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A spokesperson for the Lexington Police Department told Us on September 8 that the investigation into the infant’s death remains “ongoing.”
Snelling is no longer enrolled at the university or on the STUNT team, a spokesperson for the school told Us on September 6.
“We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the last three seasons,” the University of Kentucky said in a statement. “All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.”
A native of White Pine, Tennessee, Snelling had been a decorated member of Kentucky’s STUNT team, which specializes in “the technical and athletic components of cheer, including partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, group jumps and tumbling,” according to USA Cheer.
