Laken Snelling Pleads Guilty to Killing Newborn Son, Stuffing Him in Trash Bag

Article By Steven Ertelt 

Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree manslaughter in the death of her newborn son, whose body she stuffed into a trash bag and hid in a closet.

Snelling, 22, admitted in court to “ending” the baby’s life “instead of helping him” and to placing the infant in a plastic bag.

The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined the full-term infant was born alive in August 2025 and died of asphyxia by undetermined means.

A Fayette County grand jury indicted Snelling in March on first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.

Lexington police responded to an off-campus home on Aug. 27, 2025, after Snelling’s college roommates discovered the boy in a black plastic bag stuffed in a closet. The child was unresponsive and cold to the touch. Roommates discovered a blood-soaked towel and the plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth on August 27, 2025.

A third party later called 911.In an interview with police, Snelling initially claimed the baby had fallen on the floor after she gave birth and that she did not think he was “breathing or alive.”

She later said she had passed out “on top of the baby” and woke to find him “turning blue and purple.”

Court records show she described “a little bit of fetal movement” and a “whimper” after giving birth alone around 4 a.m. in her bedroom, then wrapped the infant and placenta in a towel, placed them in the bag, and cleaned evidence to conceal the birth.

Snelling had pleaded not guilty in April.

Prosecutors recommended a 10-year prison term for manslaughter and one year each for abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.

The manslaughter charge alleges Snelling “intentionally abused the infant and thereby caused death to a person twelve (12) years of age or less, or who is physically helpless or mentally helpless,” while acting under extreme emotional disturbance.

Snelling is a former competitive cheerleader and member of the University of Kentucky’s STUNT team.

The case highlights the tragic loss of a newborn life that medical evidence and court documents confirm was born alive and viable. First-degree manslaughter is a Class B felony in Kentucky punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison.

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