Home / Crime and Justice / Ex-UK Cheerleader Pleads Not Guilty in Infant Death Case
Ex-UK Cheerleader Pleads Not Guilty in Infant Death Case
10 Apr
Summary
- Former UK cheerleader Laken Snelling pleaded not guilty to charges.
- She is accused of hiding her newborn baby's body in a closet.
- The infant's cause of death was ruled asphyxia by undetermined means.
Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling appeared in a Lexington courtroom on Friday, April 10, 2026, to enter a not guilty plea. She was indicted in March 2026 on charges of first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Snelling allegedly gave birth in August 2025 and hid her newborn baby's body in a closet in her Lexington home. The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office ruled the infant's cause of death as asphyxia by undetermined means. First-degree manslaughter, a Class B felony in Kentucky, carries a penalty of 10 to 20 years in prison.
She was initially arrested in August 2025 after her roommates found evidence of childbirth. Snelling admitted to authorities that she gave birth and concealed the evidence, including the infant wrapped in a towel. She was released on a $10,000 bond and placed under house arrest with a GPS tracker.
A pretrial conference is set for May 14, 2026, with a status hearing scheduled for June 12, 2026, as the case progresses through the legal system. Snelling was not charged with murder as she was deemed to have acted under extreme emotional disturbance.
