Laken Snelling, a former University of Kentucky cheerleader, pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges on Friday morning in a Kentucky courtroom for the death of her newborn son, whose body was discovered stuffed in a trash bag. The 22-year-old admitted to “ending” her baby's life, reversing her earlier not-guilty plea to first-degree manslaughter filed in April. She also entered guilty pleas for abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Emotional Courtroom Admission
In a tearful statement before Judge Diane Minnifield, Snelling said, “I was under a lot of emotional stress, and my baby came unexpectedly. And instead of helping him I ended his life, and afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.” When asked by the judge how she ended her son's life, Snelling replied, “I deprived him of oxygen.” She also admitted to cleaning up the evidence, stating, “I put the towels in a plastic bag.”
The case dates back to August 27, 2025, when Lexington police responded to an off-campus home after Snelling's college roommates discovered the dead baby boy wrapped in a towel inside a black plastic bag in a closet. The roommates also found a “blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth” in her room, which they reported to a 911 operator. They later told authorities they had suspected Snelling was hiding her pregnancy.
Investigation and Conflicting Accounts
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia by undetermined means. During police interviews, Snelling, who has been free on a $100,000 bond since her arrest last year, initially claimed the baby had fallen on the floor after birth and she didn’t think he was “breathing or alive.” She later changed her story, saying she had passed out “on top of the baby” and woke up to find him “turning blue and purple.”
Court documents reveal that Snelling later told medical staff the newborn had shown “a little bit of fetal movement” and made a “whimper” after being born. Police also said she took several photos while in labor but deleted them “in an attempt to hide the birth.”
Sentencing and Recommendations
Prosecutors have recommended a 10-year prison term for manslaughter, plus one year each for abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. Snelling is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16, where the court will decide the final penalty based on the guilty pleas and the evidence presented.
