Dressed in a bright red dress, a University of Kentucky student appeared in court just days after her newborn baby was found stuffed in her closet.
Laken Snelling, 21, was taken into custody on Saturday, August 30, and is currently facing charges of ab*se of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
“Wow she took the time to put on makeup. She hardly looks upset,” one netizen commented on her court appearance.
A University of Kentucky student appeared in court just days after her newborn baby was found stuffed inside her closet
Trigger warning: this article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
Laken pleaded not guilty when she appeared in a Lexington, Kentucky, courtroom on Tuesday, September 2.
With her family members in the courtroom, the 21-year-old athlete mostly kept her head down and nodded as the judge spoke.
The university senior walked out of the courtroom holding her father’s hand.
She posted a $100,000 bond and is “to live with parents” in their Tennessee home, according to court documents.
The 21-year-old athlete appeared in court on September 2 with her family
Her parents’ home is in Tennessee’s Jefferson City, about 200 miles away from where Laken was arrested.
She is now on “home incarceration with no ankle monitor,” documents added.
Laken, who was reportedly a pageant queen and competed in the Jefferson County Fairest of the Fair in the past, received plenty of snark on social media after pleading not guilty.
“When makeup makes you a 10 but your really a 2 !!!!” one netizen commented, while another said, “Hidden in a closet pretty much sums it up.”
“What kind of parents bring their daughter a bright colored dress and her pageant makeup to court,” one netizen commented online
“Karma’s coming for this narcissistic family. What kind of parents bring their daughter a bright colored dress and her pageant makeup, To court over the loss of their deceased newborn grandson,” one commenter wrote online. “…This newborn mother and grandparents’ first thought was to be dressed and made up for the judge and the News? ( cameras).”
“How did people not know she was pregnant? Or did they know?” another asked.
The infant’s body was allegedly found at an off-campus location following a 911 call reporting a “deceased infant” located “inside of a closet.”
The Lexington Police Department was dispatched to the home on Park Avenue at around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, August 27.
Laken admitted to giving birth to the newborn baby, who was found wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag in the closet
The baby “was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag,” officials said.
When questioned by the cops, Laken admitted she had given birth to the baby and cleaned up the evidence.
“By wrapping the infant in towels and placing it inside of a black trash bag, the listed suspect treated the corpse in a way that would outrage ordinary family sensibilities,” read a police report about the arrest.
The cause of the baby’s passing is still being investigated.
Officials are yet to confirm the cause of the little one’s passing
The cheerleader “admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel,” officials said.
Laken is expected to appear in court next on September 26.
Before the infant was found hidden in her closet, Laken gushed about motherhood in her last TikTok post on June 25.
The post saw Laken list things like her “hair color,” “favorite color,” her “goals,” her “birth month,” and so on.
Underneath “goals,” the youngster included emojis of a wedding ring, a mother holding a baby, a house, and cash.
Her last few TikTok posts also suggested she was in a relationship with a young man, whose name and identity were not revealed.
Netizens wondered whether the cheerleader was in a relationship with the young man pictured with her in her last posts
“#couplesphotography” and “#couplesphotoshoot” were the tags she included in a series of pictures with the young man.
Some viewers assumed the photos were from a maternity shoot.
“Girl this is a maternity shoot! You knew. You can see it!” read one comment.
Another clip captured the man kissing Laken on the cheek.
The University of Kentucky confirmed that the accused student was part of the competitive STUNT team, which is similar to competitive cheerleading.
“We can confirm that she has been a member of the STUNT team for the last three seasons,” the university said. “All other questions should be directed to the Lexington Police.”
“How selfish of her,” one commenter wrote online, while another asked, “How many excuses is she going to come up with?”
