Warning: This article contains discussion of child death which some readers may find distressing.
Documents released by Lexington Police in Kentucky have unveiled further information about a university student accused of concealing her newborn baby in a closet, ultimately leading to the baby’s death.
Laken Snelling, a former student at the University of Kentucky aged 21, was taken into custody by the Lexington Police Department on August 31. This followed a report made on August 27 regarding an unresponsive infant.
The police department’s press release noted that officers discovered an infant who was declared deceased upon their arrival at the Park Avenue location.
A month later, an affidavit shared by Lex 18 provided more insights into the baby’s death, noting that the infant “appeared to be full term when discovered.”
Snelling, since withdrawn from the university, is suspected to have given birth around 4 am on August 27.
She purportedly informed the police that she accidentally fell asleep on the baby, waking up to find “the baby turning blue and purple.” She claimed to have wrapped the child in a towel, then allegedly placed both the baby and the placenta in a black trash bag in her closet.
The affidavit suggests that Snelling’s roommates, alerted by noises during the night, entered her room and texted each other upon finding a “blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth.”
As the investigation continued, police reports disclosed a search warrant for Snelling’s social media accounts. These accounts allegedly included searches related to pregnancy.
Additionally, the accounts supposedly contained “images of her during labor, photos of her engaging in activities pregnant women should typically avoid, and evidence of a concealed or hidden pregnancy.”
Lex 18 reports that authorities suspect additional information about pregnancy and “the birth of the full term baby” might have been removed from the accounts.
After placing the baby in the closet, Snelling allegedly left her apartment to order and collect food via the McDonald’s app and visited the student clinic, although she did not enter. During her absence, her roommates discovered the childbirth evidence.
Snelling faces charges including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. She has entered a plea of not guilty to these charges.
If you are concerned about any of these issues or need to talk confidentially about child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline is available at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). They operate 24/7 and accept calls from across the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.