Laken Snelling, a 21-year-old former University of Kentucky stunt team member, has been charged after police discovered a deceased infant wrapped in a towel and placed inside a black trash bag in a Lexington apartment, court records show.
Snelling pleaded not guilty to abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant at a court appearance Tuesday. She was released on a $100,000 bond and ordered to serve home incarceration at her parents' home in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Her next court date is scheduled for Sept. 26.
Police said they were called Wednesday to a Lexington residence and found the infant, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not released a cause of death pending an autopsy, and the person who alerted police has not been publicly identified.
An arrest citation cited by local media said the infant was wrapped in towels and placed inside a black trash bag in a closet. The citation states that by wrapping the infant in towels and placing it in a trash bag, the suspect treated the corpse in a way "that would outrage ordinary family sensibilities." The citation further says Snelling admitted to concealing the birth and to cleaning up evidence before hiding supplies and the infant.
Video and social-media images unearthed after the discovery show Snelling performing with the University of Kentucky STUNT team in April with what appears to be a visible stomach bump. The university told the Daily Mail on Friday that Snelling is no longer a student. The university did not answer questions about whether team coaches knew she may have been pregnant while performing.
Social-media posts also show images from June in which Snelling's then-boyfriend, former college basketball player Connor Jordan, appears to hold her stomach. Jordan, 24, has been identified in media reports; he has not been publicly charged in connection with the case.
At Tuesday's court appearance, Snelling appeared accompanied by family and mostly kept her head down as a judge outlined her release conditions. Local media reported she nodded during the hearing and was escorted from the courthouse by family members.
Prosecutors have charged Snelling with multiple counts related to concealment and mistreatment of a corpse. The formal charges and the cited police statements reflect the allegations; Snelling has pleaded not guilty. Investigators have not released additional details about the birth or the circumstances that led to the infant's death.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the infant's cause of death, and results have not been released. The case has drawn national attention, in part because of the contrast between publicly shared images of Snelling as a collegiate athlete and the circumstances of the infant's discovery.
Authorities and the university have released limited public information as the investigation proceeds. Snelling remains on home incarceration under the terms of her bond as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare for upcoming court proceedings.