SICKENING: University Of Kentucky Cheerleader Arrested After Police Find Her Dead Baby Stuffed In Closet

This is completely dark.

A University of Kentucky cheerleader was arrested after authorities discovered her dead baby stuffed inside her closet.

Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested after Lexington police found her baby in a closet wrapped up in a towel inside a plastic bag.

HEARTBREAKING: A 21-year-old University of Kentucky cheerleader has been arrested after her newborn was allegedly found dead in a trash bag in her dorm room.

She admitted to giving birth. The baby was found wrapped in a towel, hidden in a closet.

This is still being… pic.twitter.com/Eh2lJxis8h

— Students for Life of America | Pro-Life Gen (@StudentsforLife) September 2, 2025

The New York Post reported more details on the horrific  crime:

The University of Kentucky cheerleader whose dead newborn was found stuffed in a closet listed being a mother as one of her life goals in a social media post just months before police made the grisly discovery.

Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested Sunday after cops in Lexington found her deceased infant “wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag” in a closet at an off-campus residence, according to a police report.

In her last TikTok post June 25, Snelling included an emoji of a mother holding a baby under her list of “goals” beside a wedding ring, house and cash.

Social media users flocked to her comments section after news of her baby’s death broke this weekend.

“Goal to be a mother but [kills] her baby??” one commenter wrote.

🚨 CHILLING: Kentucky cheerleader’s last TikTok resurfaces

In June, 21-year-old Laken Snelling posted that one of her biggest life goals was to be a mom.

Months later, police say she secretly gave birth, then hid her newborn’s body in a trash bag in her closet.

Snelling, a… pic.twitter.com/Cy3qCwxhJs

— JJBOOM (@JordyHalo80) September 2, 2025

NBC News reported Snelling has since been released on a $100,000 bond:

A university spokesperson said Laken Ashlee Snelling is a senior and a member of the competitive STUNT team, which is similar to competitive cheerleading.

Snelling, 21, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Fayette County Detention Center in Lexington, police said in a statement. She has been charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

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Snelling was released Tuesday on $100,000 bond, according to court documents shared with NBC News. The court documents say she was placed on house arrest at her parents’ home in Jefferson City, Tennessee, roughly 200 miles from where she was arrested in Kentucky.

Snelling appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon. She largely held her head down throughout the hearing, wearing a red dress and saying little to her attorney.