A former college cheerleader from the University of Kentucky was recently indicted on a first-degree manslaughter charge in the death of her newborn infant, who was found in her closet. 22-year-old Laken Snelling was also indicted on abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Indictment Charges
On August 31, 2025, Snelling was arrested for the death of her infant, who was found wrapped in trash bags inside her off-campus home. She was quickly charged and pleaded not guilty. She has been out on bond, living in her childhood home with her parents in Jefferson City, Tennessee, but was arrested again on March 10, 2026, following her indictment.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined the infant was born alive and his cause of death was “asphyxia by undetermined means.” However, Snelling was not indicted on murder charges because of her state of mind at the time of giving birth at home alone.
The indictment holds Snelling liable for the death of the infant, stating, “under circumstances which do not constitute murder because she acted under the influence of extreme emotional disturbance, or through circumstances not otherwise constituting the offense of murder, she intentionally abused the infant and thereby caused death.”
Baby Found in Closet
An affidavit that was released last year following the tragic death revealed details of the events that transpired, leading to the death of the infant and Snelling’s arrest. On August 27, 2025, Snelling’s roommates heard loud noises coming from her room that lasted approximately an hour. She brushed it off, saying she had passed out from lack of eating.
The roommates went into her room after Snelling left for the day and “found a blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth. They looked in Ms. Snelling’s closet and located the deceased newborn baby, placed in bags.” They called the police, horrified, and said the baby was “cold to the touch.”
Police arrived quickly, and Snelling was met with them where she allegedly admitted to giving birth to the child in her room, which fell to the floor in the process. When describing the events to the doctors, she suggested the child was not breathing at the time.
Snelling reports she was awake for 30 minutes after giving birth “before falling on top of the baby.” However, police also report she told medical professionals that the infant had shown “a little bit of fetal movement,” and she heard a “whimper” after he was born.
When she woke up, she “observed the baby turning blue and purple,” and thought he was dead, so she allegedly told investigators she “wrapped the baby up like a burrito and lay next to it (on) the floor because it gave her a little comfort in the moment.”
Father of the Baby
At the time of her arrest, Snelling was a 21-year-old college student at the University of Kentucky. She was a part of the cheer STUNT team and was reportedly dating a fellow athlete at the time, Conner Jordan. He was a basketball player for King University and Tusculum University in Tennessee. The media speculated for a while that he was the father of the infant, but it remains unconfirmed.
Snelling Out on Bail Again
Snelling is scheduled to be arraigned on April 10, 2026, and was booked at the Fayette County Detention Center on Thursday, March 12. She was released shortly after her father posted her $10,000 bail, a significant decrease from her $100,000 bail set last year.
If she is convicted on manslaughter charges, she will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, plus an additional 11 years if convicted on the remaining charges.
