LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling was indicted Tuesday on first-degree manslaughter charges after a medical examiner determined her newborn son died of asphyxiation in August.
A Fayette County grand jury upgraded charges against the 22-year-old following a Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office report that found the baby was born alive before suffocating. Snelling now faces up to 20 years in prison for manslaughter, plus an additional 11 years for existing charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. The case has drawn national attention as investigators revealed Snelling allegedly hid her pregnancy for months while performing with the university’s STUNT cheerleading team.
Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird explained how jurors reached their decision after reviewing medical evidence and homicide laws. “They were given the information about homicide, the four levels of homicide and then deliberated and decided that manslaughter first degree was the charge that should come out of the grand jury,” Baird told WKYT. The medical examiner’s report proved crucial in securing the upgraded charges, determining the cause of death as “asphyxia by undetermined means.” Baird said Snelling is due back in court within the next three weeks, though no specific date has been set. An arrest warrant has been issued for the former cheerleader, who remains on house arrest at her family home in White Pine, Tennessee.
The incident occurred on August 28, 2025, when Lexington Police responded around 10:30 a.m. to reports of an unresponsive infant at a home in the 400 block of Park Avenue, blocks from the UK campus. Officers arrived to find the newborn wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag in a bedroom closet. Snelling’s roommates had discovered the infant after hearing “strange noises” coming from her room earlier that day. According to arrest affidavits, the roommates found a blood-soaked towel on the floor before making the grim discovery in the closet. They reported the infant was “cold to the touch” when they called 911. After giving birth, Snelling allegedly cleaned the scene and left to go to McDonald’s, telling her roommates she was going to see a doctor because she had fainted from not eating.
Court documents reveal Snelling’s changing account of events during police questioning. She initially told officers the baby “fell onto the floor of her bedroom” during birth and that she didn’t believe the infant was breathing. Snelling claimed she stayed awake for approximately 30 minutes after delivery before “falling on top of the baby and going back to sleep.” When she woke up, she said the baby was “turning blue and purple.” However, she later told hospital staff the newborn had made a “whimper” at birth and showed “a little bit of fetal movement,” according to court filings. Snelling allegedly wrapped the baby “like a burrito” in a towel and curled up next to the infant on the floor, which she said “gave her a little comfort in the moment.” She then placed the towel-wrapped baby and placenta in separate bags inside the trash bag found by police.
Evidence suggests Snelling concealed her pregnancy for months while maintaining her role on the university’s competitive cheerleading team. Unearthed footage from April 2025 shows Snelling performing with UK’s STUNT team with what appears to be a pregnancy bump visible on her stomach. Photos from June show her with then-boyfriend Connor Jordan, a former college basketball player, where she appeared to cover her midsection. A search warrant on Snelling’s phone revealed she had made numerous internet searches “including different things pertaining to pregnancy” and “a concealed or hidden pregnancy,” according to the affidavit. Police found that her phone contained “images of her during labor” which she allegedly deleted “in an attempt to hide the birth.” Investigators also requested access to her social media accounts including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and a shared iCloud account with her mother.
Snelling was arrested on August 31, 2025, and initially charged with the lesser offenses before being released on a $100,000 surety bond. She was placed on house arrest at her father’s home in Tennessee and ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device. The University of Kentucky confirmed Snelling was a senior and had been a member of the competitive cheerleading team for three seasons before she withdrew from school following her arrest. Her bio listed her hometown as White Pine, Tennessee, approximately 185 miles from Lexington. Reports indicate a DNA test was conducted to determine paternity, with college quarterback Izaiah Hall among those tested, though results have not been disclosed publicly.
The case highlights the legal complexities surrounding concealed pregnancies and neonatal deaths. Under Kentucky law, first-degree manslaughter carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison, while the additional charges could add up to 11 years if Snelling is convicted on all counts. The initial autopsy proved inconclusive, but the medical examiner’s final determination that the baby was born alive became the key factor in the grand jury’s decision to upgrade charges. Legal experts note that proving intent in such cases often relies heavily on medical evidence and the defendant’s statements and actions immediately following the birth.
Snelling has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains under house arrest pending her next court appearance. The case continues to generate significant media attention, with details emerging about the former cheerleader’s attempts to hide her pregnancy while maintaining her collegiate athletic career. No formal indictment date has been announced, though prosecutors expect proceedings to move forward within the coming weeks as the case advances through the Kentucky court system.
