Former UK Student Indicted

A former UK student charged in her baby’s death was indicted Monday by a Fayette County grand jury.

Laken Snelling is accused of hiding the birth and putting the baby’s body in a closet.

The grand jury indicted Snelling on the charges of:

First-degree manslaughter
Abuse of a corpse
Tampering with physical evidence
Concealing the birth of an infant.

The manslaughter charge was added by the convening Grand Jury.

The case began on August 20, 2025 when Lexington Police were called to Park Avenue for an unresponsive infant. The baby boy was pronounced dead at the scene. Court records say the child was found wrapped in a towel, inside a trash bag, in a closet.

Snelling was arrested four days later and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

At the time of her arrest, a UK spokesperson confirmed Snelling was a senior at the university and a member of the stunt team. She has since withdrawn from the school.

Snelling’s case was sent to the grand jury in September 2025. Since then, she has been on house arrest in Tennessee.

During the investigation, the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined Infant Snelling was born alive and his cause of death to be asphyxia by undetermined means.
Source: WAVE