University Athlete Arrested After Infant’s Body Found Hidden In Closet

A 21-year-old University of Kentucky athlete has been arrested after allegedly concealing the body of her newborn child in a bin bag hidden in a closet, police have said.

The student, identified as Laken Ashlee Snelling, is a senior at the university and a member of its competitive cheer stunt team, according to a university spokesperson.

Snelling was taken into custody on Sunday and booked into the Fayette County Detention Centre in Lexington. She faces charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

Court documents state Snelling was released on Tuesday on a $100,000 bond and placed under house arrest at her parents’ home in Jefferson City, Tennessee, around 200 miles from Lexington.

She appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon, dressed in a red dress and keeping her head bowed for much of the hearing. She spoke little to her solicitor. It remains unclear whether Snelling has formally retained legal representation. The state Department of Public Advocacy, which provides defendants with legal counsel in certain cases, has not yet commented.

According to an arrest citation obtained by local broadcaster WLEX, police were called to Snelling’s residence on Wednesday morning following reports that an infant’s body had been discovered. Officers found the child wrapped in a towel and placed inside a black bin bag in a closet.

Police said Snelling admitted she had recently given birth and attempted to conceal the evidence.

The Fayette County Coroner’s Office has launched an investigation into the infant’s cause of death.