Laken Snelling, a former cheerleader at the University of Kentucky, has been charged with first-degree m@πslaughter after an autopsy revealed that her newborn baby was born alive before dying.

The 21-year-old was indicted by a Fayette County Grand Jury after the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the infant d!ed from asphyxia by an unknown cause.

According to Kimberly Baird, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fayette County, jurors were presented with various h0micide charges before deciding on first-degree manslaughter as the appropriate indictment. 

Snelling had earlier been charged with @buse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. She pleaded not guilty to those charges and had been under house arrest at her family home in Tennessee.
 

Following her arrest, she withdrew from the University of Kentucky and is no longer a member of the school’s STUNT cheer team.

Authorities said Snelling gave birth to a baby boy at around 4 a.m. on August 27 at her off-campus residence in Lexington.

According to police reports, her roommates—who suspected she had been hiding a pregnancy—heard unusual noises coming from her room during the early morning hours.

Investigators said Snelling allegedly cleaned up blood from the room after the birth, showered and left the house without seeking medical help.

While she was away, roommates entered her room and reportedly found blood-stained items along with a plastic bag containing signs of childbirth. They later discovered the newborn inside a black plastic bag in a closet and contacted emergency services, telling the operator the baby felt cold to the touch.

When Snelling returned home, officers from the Lexington Police Department were waiting and took her into custody.