As fresh details emerge in the case of University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling, the 21-year-old has quietly withdrawn from college just one week after her newborn baby was discovered in her closet.
Snelling, once described by peers as a popular, appearance-obsessed student, was arrested on August 31 after the infant was found “wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag,” as per her arrest citation.
Laken Snelling, the former cheerleader accused of leaving her newborn in a closet, has officially withdrawn from college
Image credits: ukathletics
Trigger warning: this article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
Jay Blanton, a spokesperson for the University, confirmed last Friday (September 5) that Snelling had officially withdrawn from classes and was no longer part of the school’s STUNT cheerleading squad, where she had competed for three years.
The university offered no further comment.
The decision to drop out comes three days after Snelling appeared in court, where she pleaded not guilty to charges of desecration of a body, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Snelling was placed on house arrest at her parent’s home after posting a $100,000 bond
Image credits: laken_snelling / TikTok
The case unfolded on August 27, when officers responded to a call about an unresponsive infant at Snelling’s Lexington residence. The baby was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Snelling admitted to giving birth and hiding the evidence in a bag. She was arrested on August 31 and booked into the Fayette County Detention Center.
Court filings confirmed she later posted a $100,000 bond, and was placed under house arrest at her parents’ home in Jefferson City, Tennessee.
That same day, she appeared before a judge and pleaded not guilty.
Details surrounding the baby’s passing remain under wraps, with preliminary reports being inconclusive
Image credits: Laken Snelling / Facebook
The following morning, Gary Ginn, a Fayette County Coroner, announced that a preliminary autopsy on the infant was inconclusive.
The official causes behind the tragic incident remain pending, leaving many of the questions surrounding the case without answers—particularly about whether the child was stillborn, miscarried, or purposely suffocated.
Online, explanations have already begun spreading. For instance, Abby Blabby, an influencer who covers true crime stories on Facebook, went viral after uploading a video on September 7 with explosive allegations.
Sources close to the mother allegedly claimed the baby was born alive, and identified the father
Image credits: University of the Cumberlands Athletics
In the video, Blabby claims that sources close to the case told her that Snelling admitted the baby had “whimpered after he was born.”
Blabby explained that the infant was 38 weeks gestation, weighed just under six pounds, and had his father’s complexion.
Image credits: ABC7 Chicago / YouTube
She claimed that a student named Zae, who Snelling had presumably dated before, is most likely the baby’s father. The influencer also said Zae took a paternity test at the request of investigators, and that the results are not back yet.
“He and his family had no idea she was pregnant,” Blabby added, “This is all just a huge surprise to them.”
Online, rumors have spread accusing the mother of deliberately taking the baby’s life
Image credits: Laken Snelling / Facebook
The influencer claimed that, given the information already available to authorities, the possibility of Snelling deliberately taking the baby’s life is being investigated.
She claimed Snelling went to the hospital with a laceration first, had lost so much blood that she required a blood transfusion, and had confided that she wanted no one to know about the pregnancy.
Image credits: Laken Snelling / Facebook
According to Blabby’s sources, when Snelling delivered the baby, it was blue from lack of oxygen, whimpered a couple of times, and then had a towel placed over its head.
Snelling then fell asleep, woke up, cleaned the placenta, placed the baby inside the closet, and went to class as if nothing had happened.
Throughout the clip, the influencer reminded her viewers that while she believes her sources are credible, none of the information she shared was confirmed by the police.
The case has drawn an eerie comparison to Brooke Skylar Richardson’s case in Ohio
Image credits: Lexington Police Department
In 2017, Brooke Skylar Ricardson, an Ohio cheerleader, was charged with secretly delivering a baby and immediately burying her in the backyard.
While initially accused of deliberately taking the life of the child, she was later acquitted, being convicted only of desecrating the body.
Image credits: Brenda Mitchell Brackett / Facebook
Reactions online mirrored the Richardson case, with furious commenters accusing the mother of taking her baby’s life and demanding the harshest punishment possible.
Image credits: Laken Snelling / Facebook
“You don’t end a baby and stash it. You surrender it to a firehouse or police station or give it up for adoption,” a commenter wrote.
Others argued the 21-year-old acted in desperation, saying, “More than likely the baby passed and she was so scared she didn’t know what to do.”
Snelling has since deleted her social media accounts, and remains under house arrest
Image credits: Laken Snelling / Facebook
For now, Snelling remains confined to her parents’ Tennessee home, awaiting final autopsy results, her ex-boyfriend’s DNA test, and further hearings.
The former cheerleader has deleted her social media accounts, though screenshots show she had previously posted images of herself with her current partner’s hand on her pregnant belly.
The University of Kentucky has confirmed she is no longer affiliated with the institution, and the Special Victims Section of the Lexington Police Department continues with the investigation.
Citizens with information pertaining to the case are urged to contact the LPD at (859) 258-3600 or submit tips anonymously via Bluegrass Crime Stoppers.
“I don’t feel a bit sorry for her,” a user commented online
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