University of Kentucky student athlete Laken Snelling has pleaded not guilty after she was arrested for her alleged connection to the death of her infant child.
Snelling, 21, entered the not guilty plea during a 1 p.m. hearing in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, on Tuesday, September 2. Additionally, Snelling – who is represented by attorney Brandon Marshall – posted a $100,000 bond in court.
She is now on “home incarceration with no ankle monitor,” according to local outlet Lex 18. The college student has been ordered “to live with parents” at their home in Jefferson City, Tennessee, as she awaits her trial. Her next court appearance is scheduled to take place on September 26.
The Lexington Police Department confirmed that Snelling was arrested in connection with the death of an infant on Saturday, August 30. She was charged with “abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.”
Police said that Snelling was the infant’s mother. The crime was discovered when officers were dispatched for an unresponsive infant at a home on Park Avenue at approximately 10:30 a.m. on August 27. The infant was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
The arrest citation for Snelling explained the “infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag.” Snelling later “admitted to giving birth” when she was interviewed by officers. Additionally, she “admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel.”
Following her arrest, the University of Kentucky confirmed she is a student at the college. “We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the last three seasons,” the university said in a statement. “All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.”
Not much is known about Snelling’s pregnancy. Her child’s father’s identity has not yet been revealed. However, her TikTok post from June 18 teased her romance with a man who could potentially be the father. The video showed her and the unidentified man posing in a field as they wore coordinating white outfits.
The duo appeared comfortable together as they posed with their arms wrapped around each other and locked their hands as they held each other’s gazes. Snelling did not reveal much about their relationship, though she teased their dynamic by captioning the post with three white heart emojis.
It appears the couple had been together for at least a few months, as the same man was also featured in a video that Snelling shared from before a Megan Moroney concert in April. The man planted a kiss on Snelling’s cheek and she affectionately placed her hand on his face while lip-synching along to Moroney’s song “Wonder.”
“He don’t make me wonder,” Snelling lip-synched along to the song, seemingly referring to her relationship with the mystery man.
