Laken Snelling, a former University of Kentucky cheerleader, has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her newborn son, admitting in court that she deliberately deprived the infant of oxygen and hid his body. Snelling, 22, changed her plea from not guilty to guilty as part of a plea agreement. She was originally indicted on several charges following her arrest last August.
In a courtroom revelation, Snelling told Judge Diane Minnifield that she concealed the birth and tampered with evidence. Crying, she stated, "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 the baby's life, Snelling responded, "I deprived him of oxygen."
The plea agreement includes guilty pleas to charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. The state Medical Examiner's Office determined the baby boy was alive when born and died from asphyxia due to undetermined means.
Snelling's roommates discovered the newborn's body hidden in a closet in her off-campus apartment. Police reports indicate that her roommates believed she had been concealing a pregnancy for some time and heard noises consistent with labor coming from her room. She was first charged on August 30, 2025, three days after giving birth.
Initially, Snelling claimed the newborn was stillborn. She later told investigators she wrapped her newborn and laid next to it, describing herself as panicking. However, court documents also state she told a medical worker that the newborn had shown fetal movement and made a whimper upon birth.
Investigators examining Snelling's phone uncovered internet searches related to pregnancy, images from during her labor, and information that could indicate a concealed pregnancy and birth. Police noted that items may have been deleted in an attempt to hide evidence of the pregnancy, birth, and the newborn baby.
Photos from April 2025 appear to show Snelling with a pregnant bump while performing with the UK's STUNT team. Her former boyfriend, college basketball player Connor Jordan, underwent a DNA test to determine paternity, though the results have not been publicly disclosed. It remains unclear who the father of the infant is.
Judge Minnifield accepted Snelling's guilty plea and has set a sentencing hearing for October. She faces up to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter charge alone. The court documents also reveal that after giving birth, Snelling allegedly cleaned the scene and left her home to go to McDonald's before her roommates discovered the baby.
