College Cheerleader Arrested After ‘Grim’ Discovery is Made at Her Residence

A shocking case has rocked the University of Kentucky after a 21-year-old cheerleader was arrested for allegedly hiding her newborn’s body inside a closet just steps from campus.

Laken Snelling, a senior at the university and member of the school’s elite STUNT cheer team, was taken into custody Sunday after Lexington police responded to a disturbing call about an “unresponsive infant” in a residence on Park Avenue.

“When officers arrived, they located an infant that was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the Lexington Police Department confirmed in a statement. The Fayette County Coroner’s Office has yet to release the cause of death.

According to police documents obtained by WLEX, officers discovered the infant “wrapped in a towel, inside a black trash bag, and placed in a closet.” Investigators say Snelling later admitted to giving birth.

“It’s tragic for everyone involved,” one law enforcement source told local media. “You have a young woman with her entire life ahead of her, and now an infant who didn’t get a chance at life.”

Snelling, a native of Kentucky, is listed as a senior on the University of Kentucky’s STUNT cheer team, one of the fastest-growing competitive sports in the U.S. According to the UK Athletics website, STUNT is a head-to-head competition focusing on the “technical and athletic aspects of cheer.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a university spokesperson confirmed Snelling’s enrollment and athletic involvement but declined to comment further, citing “the ongoing police investigation.”

Snelling is facing multiple felony charges, including abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. She was released on a $100,000 bond and placed under home incarceration without an ankle monitor, according to court filings.

The news has stunned students and residents in Lexington. “This is horrifying,” said Jenna Matthews, a junior at the university. “You see these girls on the field cheering every weekend, and you’d never expect something like this to happen.” Another student, Kyle Henderson, said the case has “sent shockwaves across campus.” “I think everyone’s just trying to wrap their heads around how something this tragic could happen right here,” he added.

The Lexington Police Department’s Special Victims Section is leading the investigation. Authorities have not said whether additional charges are possible or if anyone else may have been involved. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.

“This investigation is far from over,” an official said. “We’re working carefully to uncover exactly what happened.”