A former University of Kentucky student athlete was indicted Monday on a first-degree manslaughter charge and other felonies after her newborn son’s body was found in a closet last year.
Laken Snelling, 21, who was a member of the university’s stunt team, is accused of hiding the birth and putting the baby’s body in a closet. Snelling was taken into custody by the Lexington Police Department on Aug. 31, officials said.
Officers had responded to a call about an unresponsive infant on Aug. 20, and the baby was “pronounced deceased at the scene,” wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag, according to police.
“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,” Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird told WKYT.
Snelling told staff at the University of Kentucky hospital that she heard the newborn “whimper” at birth and “guessed” he was alive, according to an affidavit previously cited by FOX56. The baby also showed “a little fetal movement,” the court document stated.
Snelling allegedly told police she was awake for nearly 30 minutes after delivering the baby before passing out on top of him. When she woke up, she saw the newborn “turning blue and purple,” according to the affidavit.
On Monday, a Fayette County grand jury indicted Snelling on first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant, WKYT reported.
Police found the infant inside a trash bag in a closet and cold to the touch, court records said. Snelling believed the baby was dead and “wrapped him like a burrito” and lay next to him, saying it “gave her comfort,” officials said.
Her roommates texted each other after hearing loud noises, according to the affidavit. Snelling allegedly told them she was going to see a doctor because she had fainted from not eating. Afterward, she picked up McDonald’s and went to the student health clinic but “did not go inside,” the affidavit stated.
A subsequent search of Snelling’s phone revealed she had deleted labor photos and evidence of the pregnancy, police said.
Snelling was initially charged with tampering with physical evidence, concealing the birth of an infant and abuse of a corpse. She has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
At the time of her arrest, a UK spokesperson confirmed Snelling was a senior at the university, WKYT reported.
