Former Kentucky Cheerleader Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison After Admitting to Newborn Son’s Death

A former University of Kentucky student and competitive cheerleader has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges connected to the death of her newborn son.

Laken Snelling, 22, was sentenced on October 16, 2026, in Fayette Circuit Court in Lexington, Kentucky. She had pleaded guilty in August to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

The case began on August 27, 2025, when police were called to a residence on Park Avenue after a report of an unresponsive infant. Officers found the baby boy wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in a closet. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators later determined that the infant had been born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means, according to authorities.

During her guilty plea hearing, Snelling spoke about the circumstances surrounding the birth and acknowledged her responsibility, telling the court: “Instead of helping him, I ended his life.”

Court records also described how her roommates became concerned after hearing unusual noises from her room during the early morning hours. They later entered the room and discovered evidence of childbirth before finding the infant.

Snelling had been a member of the University of Kentucky’s STUNT team, a competitive sport that combines elements of cheerleading and partner stunts. She withdrew from the university following her arrest.

The sentencing brings a major development in a case that began more than a year earlier and drew attention because of the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death and Snelling’s admission in court.

Sources: DAILYMAIL