UK student and STUNT cheerleader charged in infant death case

A University of Kentucky student and competitive cheerleader was arrested after police found a newborn infant wrapped in a towel and placed inside a trash bag in a closet at an offcampus Lexington residence, authorities said. Officers were dispatched to the Park Avenue home on Aug. 27 after a report of an unresponsive infant; the child was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Laken Snelling, 21, was later taken into custody and faces charges including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.

An arrest citation obtained by investigators says Snelling admitted to giving birth and to concealing the birth by cleaning the area, placing the cleaning materials and the infant inside a single black trash bag before hiding it in a closet. Police said the department's Special Victims Section is continuing the investigation and has urged anyone with information to come forward.

Accounts differ slightly on timing. Police records indicate officers responded on Aug. 27 and that Snelling was arrested several days later; some reports cite Aug. 30 as the arrest date while others list Aug. 31. Court records show Snelling pleaded not guilty on...