University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling faces manslaughter charge after medical tests show newborn alive before being hidden in closet

Laken Snelling, a former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader, is now facing a serious criminal charge after new test results changed the direction of her case. A grand jury in Fayette County, Kentucky, has indicted the 23-year-old on first-degree manslaughter along with several other charges.

Investigators say medical testing showed the newborn baby was alive at birth before the infant’s body was later found hidden in a trash bag inside a closet. The indictment was announced on March 10 after prosecutors reviewed medical findings and other evidence from the case. According to the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office, the baby’s death was caused by “asphyxia by undetermined means.” Authorities say the discovery led the grand jury to consider homicide charges before deciding that first-degree manslaughter was the appropriate charge.

The case began months earlier in Lexington, Kentucky, when police responded to a disturbing 911 call. What officers found inside the home would soon lead to an investigation that has now moved into the court system.

How Laken Snelling’s newborn was discovered in a Lexington closet and why prosecutors added a manslaughter charge

The investigation started on August 27, 2025, when a third party called 911 and reported that an infant had been found inside a closet in Laken Snelling’s room. According to police reports, the baby was “cold to the touch” when discovered.

Officers questioned Snelling soon after. According to court documents later obtained by WKYT, she admitted that she had given birth inside the home. She also told investigators that she cleaned the area and placed the cleaning items into a black trash bag. The newborn, wrapped in a towel, was also placed inside that bag.Snelling told police she believed the baby may still have been alive when the birth happened. In statements included in the court records, she said she passed out and later woke up lying on top of the infant.

When she woke up, she said the baby looked “blue and purple.”The records say she then wrapped the newborn and lay beside the body on the floor.Later, when she was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation, Snelling reportedly told authorities she had heard a “whimper” before placing the infant’s body inside the trash bag.Medical testing later became a key part of the case. The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined the baby had been alive at birth and died from asphyxia.

After reviewing that evidence, prosecutors presented the case to a grand jury.Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird explained the decision in comments to WKYT. She said, “They were given the information about homicide, the four levels of homicide and then deliberated and decided that manslaughter first degree was the charge that should come out of the grand jury.”Along with manslaughter, Snelling also faces charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.Snelling had already been arrested on August 30, 2025, three days after the infant was discovered. She pleaded not guilty to the charges in September 2025 and was released on a $100,000 bond with house arrest conditions.She had been a student and a member of the University of Kentucky’s STUNT cheerleading team for three seasons. After the arrest, a university spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly that Snelling was no longer enrolled at the school and was no longer part of the team.Prosecutors say Snelling is expected to return to court within the next few weeks as the case continues through the legal process.