Arrest Warrant for Kentucky Cheerleader,  Laken Snelling, Newborn Found Dead in Closet: Court This Week

Arrest Warrant for Kentucky Cheerleader, Laken Snelling, Newborn Found Dead in Closet: Court This Week

Author: iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline May 14, 2026 Duration: 45:19

Laken Snelling, a former University of Kentucky student athlete, 22, stands accused of killing her newborn in her off-campus room.  She has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree manslaughter charge after the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined the infant was born alive and died of “asphyxia by undetermined means”.  She previously told police she did not believe the baby was breathing. 

Snelling has a pretrial hearing set for May 14, 2026, followed by a status hearing  June 12. If convicted of first-degree manslaughter, she faces 10 to 20 years in prison.  

Laken Snelling is arrested after her infant is found dead in a trash bag inside the closet. 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.

 Joining Nancy Grace today,

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

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Each day brings another headline, another case that grips the public, and Crime Stories with Nancy Grace goes straight to the heart of these developments. This isn't a retrospective look at cold cases, but a timely, urgent examination of breaking news and ongoing investigations. Drawing on her unique background as a prosecutor with a perfect conviction record, Nancy Grace applies her relentless, questioning perspective to the latest shocking crimes. She built a reputation on television for uncovering missed clues and amplifying searches for the missing, and now she channels that same intensity into this daily audio format. In collaboration with iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline, the podcast leverages the immediacy of digital media and her substantial social media reach to deliver fresh insights and developments as stories unfold. Listeners are brought directly into the analysis, hearing the tough questions asked and the details that might otherwise get lost in the noise of a 24-hour news cycle. It’s for those who follow true crime not just as a genre, but as a constantly evolving narrative of justice and intrigue, served with a prosecutor’s precision. Tune in daily for a direct, no-nonsense take on the stories dominating the news.
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