A former University of Kentucky cheerleader is facing a serious criminal charge months after authorities discovered her newborn son dead inside her home.
According to the New York Post, Laken Snelling, 21, was indicted Tuesday by a Fayette County grand jury on a charge of first-degree manslaughter following an investigation into the infant’s death last August.
According to reports, the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the baby had been born alive. The cause of death was ruled asphyxia by undetermined means.
Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird explained how the grand jury reached its decision.
“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,” Baird told WKYT.
Snelling had been attending the University of Kentucky and was a member of the school’s STUNT team, a competitive cheerleading discipline. After her arrest, she withdrew from the university and is no longer part of the program.
If convicted, Snelling could face up to 20 years in prison for the manslaughter charge. She could also face an additional 11 years tied to other charges.
Investigators say the events began in the early morning hours of Aug. 27 at Snelling’s off-campus home in Lexington.
According to police, Snelling gave birth to a baby boy at approximately 4 a.m.
Roommates who lived in the home had suspected that she was hiding a pregnancy. They later told police they heard unusual and loud noises coming from her bedroom during the early morning hours.
Authorities say that after giving birth, Snelling cleaned up blood in the room, showered, and left the home.
Instead of attending morning classes or going to the university clinic, she reportedly went to McDonald’s.
While she was gone, her roommates entered the bedroom and found what investigators described as troubling evidence.
Inside the room, they saw a “blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth.”
The roommates then made a more disturbing discovery inside the closet.
Police said the newborn baby was found inside a black plastic bag. The roommates called 911 and told the operator the infant was “cold to the touch.”
When Snelling later returned home, officers were already there waiting for her.
She was taken into custody.
According to court documents, Snelling initially told investigators that the baby fell onto the floor after the birth and that she did not believe he was “breathing or alive.”
She later said she had passed out “on top of the baby” and woke up to find “the baby turning blue and purple.”
Snelling also told authorities that she wrapped “the baby up like a burrito and laid next to it” because it “gave her a little comfort in the moment.”
However, investigators said additional details emerged during the investigation.
Medical personnel reported that Snelling told them the newborn had shown “a little bit of fetal movement” and made a “whimper” after he was born.
Authorities also said she took photos while she was in labor but later deleted them.
Police believe the images were removed “in an attempt to hide the birth,” and investigators suspect other photos may have been destroyed before her arrest.
