Laken Snelling Pleads Guilty: How Did Her Baby Die? Former Kentucky Cheerleader Admits Killing Newborn

A former University of Kentucky student-athlete pleaded guilty Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, to first-degree manslaughter and three other charges in the death of her newborn son, ending months of uncertainty over how the baby died.

Laken Snelling, 22, admitted in Fayette County court that she intentionally ended the infant’s life after giving birth at her Lexington home in August 2025. When a judge asked how she killed the baby, Snelling responded, “I deprived him of oxygen.”

How Did The Baby Die?

The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Snelling’s baby was born alive and died from asphyxia by undetermined means, a finding that later led prosecutors to pursue a manslaughter charge.

That finding became a key development in the case because the initial investigation did not establish how the infant died.

Snelling had previously told investigators that she believed the baby was not breathing after birth and said she later passed out and fell on top of him.

In court Friday, however, she gave a different and direct account.

“I ended his life,” Snelling told Fayette Circuit Judge Diane Minnifield when asked what she meant when she said she had not helped the baby.

What Exactly Happened on Aug. 27, 2025?

The case dates to the early morning of Aug. 27, 2025, when Snelling gave birth alone at her off-campus residence near downtown Lexington.

Later that morning, roommates heard loud noises coming from her room.

After Snelling left the residence, saying she had passed out and intended to see a doctor, her roommates entered the room and found a blood-soaked towel and other evidence indicating that a birth had occurred.

They then discovered the newborn’s body inside plastic bags in a closet.

Lexington police were called to the home around 10:30 a.m., and the infant was pronounced dead at the scene.

Snelling was initially arrested on charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.

The manslaughter charge came later, after medical examiners determined the baby had been born alive and died from asphyxia.

A Fayette County grand jury indicted Snelling on first-degree manslaughter and the three existing charges in March 2026.

What Did Snelling Plead Guilty To?

Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

She had originally pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge in April before changing her plea on Friday.

Prosecutors recommended a 10-year sentence for manslaughter along with one-year sentences for each of the remaining three charges.

Judge Minnifield did not immediately impose sentencing and instead ordered a presentence investigation before making a final decision.

Snelling’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2026.

Infant-Death Investigation to Manslaughter

The central development was the medical examiner’s determination that the baby was alive at birth.

Initially, investigators did not have enough information to establish the cause or manner of death.

The subsequent medical findings that the baby had been born alive and died from asphyxia provided the basis for the first-degree manslaughter indictment.

The indictment also stated that Snelling acted under an “extreme emotional disturbance,” becoming an important legal distinction in the case and a reason the charge was manslaughter rather than murder.

Snelling was a member of the University of Kentucky’s STUNT team for three seasons but withdrew from the university following her arrest.

She had remained out on bond while the case proceeded.