Former Kentucky student-athlete pleads guilty to manslaughter in infant death

Laken Snelling, 22, a former University of Kentucky STUNT team member, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Friday, August 21, 2026, in the death of her newborn son. The guilty plea marks a major development in a case that began when officers responded to a residence on August 27, 2024, for a report of an unresponsive infant. The baby's body was found wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag in a closet.

Snelling had faced charges including first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant after a grand jury indictment. She initially pleaded not guilty. The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office determined the baby was born alive, with the cause of death listed as asphyxia by undetermined means.

In courtroom statements, Snelling detailed her actions. When Judge Diane Minnifield asked how she ended the baby's life, Snelling answered: "I deprived him of oxygen." She told the judge: "I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly. And instead of helping him, I ended his life. And afterwards I cleaned up and didn't tell anyone." When asked about the tampering of physical evidence charge, Snelling said: "I put the towels in a plastic bag." Regarding the concealing-birth charge, she stated: "I didn't tell anyone about it."

According to court documents reported by Fox News, Snelling told hospital staff that she heard the newborn whimper at birth and guessed he was alive. Investigators said she was awake for 30 minutes after giving birth before passing out on top of the baby. When she woke, she saw the newborn turning blue and purple. She allegedly told investigators she wrapped him and laid next to him, saying it gave her comfort. Fox News reported that a search of Snelling's phone revealed she had deleted labor photos and evidence of the pregnancy.

Commonwealth's attorney Kimberly Baird stated, per Fox News: "This was a case that needed to go straight to the grand jury anyway, as opposed to just entering a plea. The grand jury returned the indictment for first-degree manslaughter, and then they returned and suggested that offer. We accepted."

Snelling faces up to 10 years in prison on the most serious charge of manslaughter. Judge Diane Minnifield accepted the guilty plea and set a sentencing hearing for October 16, 2026.