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A former University of Kentucky student-athlete has pleaded guilty to charges related to the death of her infant son, who was found inside a trash bag in a closet.
Laken Snelling, 22, a member of the university’s STUNT team, initially pleaded not guilty before changing her plea on Friday in connection with her newborn’s death, FOX 56 reported. She was indicted by a Fayette County grand jury and faced a slew of charges, including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
“I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly,” Snelling said while crying in court. “And instead of helping him, I ended his life and afterward I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.”
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When asked by Judge Diane Minnifield how she ended the baby’s life, Snelling said: “I deprived him of oxygen.”
Commonwealth’s attorney Kimberly Baird said that Snelling’s attorney approached prosecutors as plans changed.
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“This was a case that needed to go straight to the grand jury anyway, as opposed to just entering a plea,” Baird said, according to the news outlet. “The grand jury returned the indictment for first-degree manslaughter, and then they returned and suggested that offer. We accepted.”
Officers in Lexington responded to reports of an unresponsive infant on Aug. 27, 2024, and found the child’s remains inside a black trash bag, according to a news release from the city of Lexington. The baby’s body was cold.
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Snelling was arrested days later. She told staff at the University of Kentucky hospital that she heard the newborn “whimper” at birth and “guessed” he was alive, according to an affidavit previously cited by FOX 56.
The baby also showed “a little fetal movement,” the court document stated. Snelling told investigators that she was awake for 30 minutes after giving birth before passing out on top of the baby. When she woke up, she saw the newborn “turning blue and purple,” court documents state.
She believed the baby was dead, so she “wrapped him like a burrito” and laid next to him, saying it “gave her comfort,” officials said. At some point, she told her roommates that she was going to see a doctor because she had fainted from not eating.
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Afterward, she picked up McDonald’s and went to the student health clinic but “did not go inside,” the affidavit stated.
A subsequent search of Snelling’s phone revealed she had deleted labor photos and evidence of the pregnancy, police said.
Snelling faces up to 10 years in prison.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Snelling’s attorney and the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for comment.
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