BEAUTY-QUEEN-CHEERLEADER'S BABY DEAD IN CLOSET, GRAND JURY SET: LAKEN SNELLING

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

News, True Crime

3.9 • 7.6K Ratings

🗓️ 11 January 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

New details are emerging in the case of a 21-year-old college student and cheerleader from the University of Kentucky accused of hiding her newborn inside her college apartment closet.

Laken Snelling's case is on its way to a grand jury. The panel is expected to hear evidence in late January. The grand jury will likely be asked to indict Snelling on the three charges she initially pleaded not guilty to, and there’s possibly a count of murder or manslaughter depending on the newborn's autopsy results.

Laken Snelling is arrested after her infant is found dead in a trash bag inside the closet. An autopsy report only deepens the mystery surrounding the infant's death because the results are found to be inconclusive. Snelling posted baby bump pics before her infant was found dead.

Authorities allege Snelling gave birth in secret, wrapped her baby in a towel, placed him in a trash bag, and left him in her closet.

According to an arrest report, Lexington police were called to a home on Park Avenue for an unresponsive infant on Wednesday. Police said they found a baby's body in a closet, wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag.

The UK cheerleader is now charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.

Court records show Snelling took selfies during the birth.

Joining Nancy Grace today:

Josh Kolsrud - Criminal Defense Attorney and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Founder of Kolsrud Law Offices; Facebook and YouTube @KohlsrudLawOffices
Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker,” featured in hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter: @DrBethanyLive
Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast, "Mayhem in the Morgue," and Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)
Chris Byers - Private Investigator and Owner of Byers Investigative Services, Former Police Chief in Johns Creek, Georgia (25 years as police officer)
Germania Rodriguez - Chief US Reporter, DailyMail.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.3	Guaranteed Human.
0:04.8	Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
0:10.8	Beauty Queen cheerleader, Lake and Snellings,
0:14.2	chilling words as a baby in a trash bag found dead in her closet as we go to air.
0:22.5	A grand jury date is set in the case of the former beauty queen accused of hiding a dead baby, her dead baby, in the closet before going out for fast food.
0:36.3	I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us.
0:41.3	That's right. A grand jury date has been set in the case of a former beauty queen, now charged
0:47.5	with hiding a dead baby boy, her dead baby boy, in her own closet before going out for fast food. Also, as we go to air,
0:59.0	medical records have been subpoenaed in the Lake and Snellin case. Prosecutors requesting
1:04.1	medical records that could be related to the case of the University of Kentucky Medical Center,
1:13.6	according to new court records. A subpoena was delivered to the UK Medical Center requesting all records on Snellin created
1:20.6	since August 2024 to January 2026. Hmm.
1:28.9	Prosecutors will look at those records and find out every single person
1:32.2	Lake and Snelling spoke to, what she said, what tests she received.
1:36.5	Everything that happened on that visit.
1:40.1	This, as a grand jury looms in the case of the beauty queen.
1:45.8	Lake and Snelling's case is on its way to a grand jury.
1:49.9	The anonymous panel is expected to hear evidence in late January since Snelling waived her right
1:55.7	to a preliminary hearing during his September 26th court appearance.
2:03.4	The grand jury will likely be asked to indict Snelling on three charges she initially pleaded not guilty to. There's the possibility also of
2:10.5	account of murder or manslaughter depending on the newborn's autopsy results. If another person, an adult, was found dead, wrapped in a blanket, body in a trash bag,
	...

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