CHEERLEADER Laken Snelling once mocked up a baby bump as Halloween joke – months before cops discovered her real newborn stuffed in a closet.
The shocking costume choice has resurfaced in the wake of the grisly case out of Lexington, Kentucky.
University of Kentucky student Laken Snelling was arrested after cops found her dead newborn hidden in a closet[/caption]
Snelling, 21, once dressed as a pregnant woman for Halloween[/caption]
Snelling pleading not guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant[/caption]
University of Kentucky student Snelling, 21, was arrested after police say she secretly gave birth and hid the infant’s body in a black trash bag.
The disturbing discovery came on August 31 when officers responded to a call about an unresponsive baby at her off-campus home.
Inside a closet, they found the newborn wrapped in a towel and placed inside a garbage bag, according to an arrest citation.
The baby boy was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:30 am, local NBC affiliate LEX 18 reported.
An autopsy later ruled the cause of death inconclusive, leaving unanswered questions about how the child died.
Investigators say Snelling admitted to giving birth and then cleaning up all signs of delivery.
She allegedly told cops she placed the infant and her supplies in the same trash bag.
Just 10 months earlier, she had dressed as a pregnant woman for Halloween, pinning on a “Kentucky Mom” badge and cradling a fake bump in photos.
The pictures, initially posted by the school’s STUNT team, were later deleted after her arrest, true crime TikToker Abby Blabby claimed.
Snelling had also spoken publicly about wanting to be a mom, even listing it as a life goal with emojis of a family and baby in one of her TikTok clips.
Another resurfaced video showed her smiling in November 2023 as she told her team she was most thankful for “my friends and family.”
Unearthed footage also showed her performing cheer stunts as recently as April this year.
It is still unclear how far along she was when she delivered or who first alerted police to the hidden infant.
Attention has also turned to Snelling’s relationships.
Timeline of Laken Snelling’s case
Laken Snelling, 21, faces charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant after her baby was found dead in a closet in Lexington, Kentucky. Below is a timeline of the case:
- August 25 – First day of fall classes at University of Kentucky, where Snelling is enrolled as a Senior.
- August 27 – Police are dispatched to a home in Lexington, Kentucky, to reports of an unresponsive baby. A baby later identified as Snelling’s son is found dead in a closet at the home.
- August 31 – Snelling is arrested and booked in the Fayette County Detention Center.
- September 1 – She is released on $100,000 bond and is put on house arrest at her parents’ home in Tennessee.
- September 2 – Snelling pleads not guilty to the three charges.
- September 26 – Her preliminary hearing is scheduled.
Her former boyfriend, Izaiah Hall, 21, provided a DNA sample to determine paternity.
Her more recent boyfriend, Conner Jordan, had appeared in her social media posts in the months before her arrest.
Snelling pleaded not guilty to abuse of corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
She was released on a $100,000 bond and placed on house arrest at her parents’ home in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
A judge ruled she would not need an ankle monitor while awaiting trial.
At her first court appearance, the cheerleader wore a red dress and heavy makeup, keeping her head down as she spoke briefly to enter her plea.
A mugshot taken days earlier showed her pale and grim in a navy t-shirt, a stark contrast to her glam pageant photos online.
Her social media had recently promoted makeup tutorials, bright outfits, and pageant competitions, with one June post reading, “There is a pageant for EVERYONE!”
The University of Kentucky confirmed she was part of the STUNT team for the past three seasons but said she is no longer enrolled.
Snelling is due back in court on September 26 as the Fayette County Coroner’s Office continues to investigate how her baby died.
Snelling had previously expressed her desire to be a mother[/caption]
Her former boyfriend, Izaiah Hall, 21, provided a DNA sample to determine paternity[/caption]
