LEXINGTON, Ky. (Court TV) — A Kentucky cheerleader appeared briefly in court on Friday for the first time since she was indicted last month.
Laken Snelling stands next to her attorneys at her arraignment on April 10, 2026. (Court TV)
Laken Snelling, 22, pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
Investigators say the body of a newborn, wrapped in trash bags, was found in Snelling’s closet by her roommates on Aug. 27, 2025. The roommates, police said, became suspicious after hearing loud noises from Snelling’s room. Snelling allegedly told the roommates that she had passed out from not eating and would be seen by a doctor.
Snelling allegedly skipped class that day and did not go see a doctor; investigators say she drove to the university clinic, but never went inside.
Police say Snelling admitted to giving birth to the child and letting it fall on the floor of her room. She allegedly claimed the child wasn’t breathing or alive, but noted that she was only awake for 30 minutes after giving birth “before falling on top of the baby.” According to filings reviewed by Court TV, police said that Snelling told them that she “wrapped the baby up like a burrito and laid next to it (on) the floor” after finding it to be blue and purple and believing the child to be dead. But officers said that Snelling told medical staff at the University of Kentucky that “she ‘guessed’ the baby was alive,” and that it made a whimper after birth.
The judge accepted Snelling’s plea of not guilty on Friday. Snelling remains out on bond; the judge warned her that the same bond conditions that applied before her indictment remain in effect.
At the time of the incident, Snelling was a member of the cheer STUNT team at the University of Kentucky. She has since withdrawn from the team.
