UK athlete charged with concealing birth of infant and tampering

A University of Kentucky athlete who allegedly hid her dead newborn baby inside a closet once shared that she dreamed of being a mother, according to one of her social media posts.

Officers with the Lexington Police Department took 21-year-old Laken Snelling into custody Sunday after they responded to an unreponsive infant, who was “pronounced deceased at the scene,” officials said in a statement. Police said Snelling was the infant’s mother.

In Snelling’s latest TikTok post from June 25, she indicated a desire to raise a child as a life goal. She included an emoji of a mother holding her baby under a list of “goals,” which included a family, money, house and cash. 

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY ATHLETE ACCUSED OF HIDING HER DEAD INFANT IN CLOSET

Snelling was charged with tampering with physical evidence, concealing the birth of an infant and abuse of a corpse. 

WLEX reported that the newborn was located in a closet “wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag,” according to a police document.

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Snelling is a senior at the University of Kentucky and a member of the STUNT team, according to a university spokesperson. The university describes STUNT as a “head-to-head competition between two teams that focuses on the technical and athletic aspects of cheer,” which is “one of the fastest-growing female sports in the United States.”

Snelling also “admitted to giving birth,” the police document indicated.

Snelling was released from jail on a $100,000 bond, but was placed on house arrest.

Fox News Digital reached out to Snelling’s attorney for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.