Cheerleader jailed for newborn's death

Laken Snelling, 22, a former University of Kentucky competitive cheerleader, has started serving a 10-year prison sentence. Earlier this month, she was sentenced after pleading guilty in August to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. The Fayette Circuit Judge ordered her sentences to run concurrently at the Fayette County Detention Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

Snelling admitted to giving birth unexpectedly and concealing the birth by cleaning evidence and disposing of the infant. Her roommates discovered a blood-soaked towel and evidence of childbirth in her closet in August 2025. Police determined the baby was alive at birth, with the cause of death listed as asphyxia by undetermined means. Snelling was not charged with murder due to extreme emotional disturbance.