A University of Kentucky cheerleader accused of concealing the birth of an infant has pleaded not guilty to several felony charges.
Laken Ashlee Snelling, a 21-year-old senior and member of the university’s stunt team, entered her plea during an arraignment on Tuesday afternoon. She was released the day before on $100,000 bond and placed on house arrest with her parents, according to court records.
Snelling faces charges of concealing the birth of an infant, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. The charges stem from what police describe as a grim discovery inside her Lexington residence last week. According to an arrest report, officers responded on August 27 to a call about an unresponsive infant. When they arrived, they found the body of a newborn wrapped in a towel and placed inside a black trash bag in a closet.
Investigators say Snelling admitted to giving birth and then hiding the evidence. The arrest report notes she told police she attempted to clean up after the delivery and placed the items she used—along with the infant—into the same trash bag. Detectives wrote that by doing so she “treated the corpse in a way that would outrage ordinary family sensibilities.” The Fayette County Coroner’s Office is still working to determine the infant’s cause of death.
Snelling’s attorney, Brandon Marshall, has not responded to requests for comment. Attempts to reach Snelling directly have also been unsuccessful.
The University of Kentucky confirmed she is a senior majoring in interdisciplinary disability studies and an active member of the cheer stunt program, but declined further comment while the case remains under investigation.
Online, the case has sparked fierce reaction. The social media accounts of Snelling’s that are still live show the best and brightest version of a young college student. In one specific TikTok that she posted earlier this summer she speaks about her goal to be a mother. When netizens found the post they flooded the comments accusing her of hyporcrisy and cruelty.
Snelling is originally from White Pine, Tennessee, and graduated from Jefferson County High School in Mississippi. She has competed in local pageants and shared glimpses of her personal life with her followers, including photos with a boyfriend. Some online commenters now speculate that she was visibly pregnant in those posts, though no such detail has been confirmed.
For now, Snelling remains on house while awaiting trial. Her preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.
