LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Fayette County Circuit Court records reveal the roommates of a former University of Kentucky student charged in connection with her newborn son's death had growing suspicions about Laken Snelling before she gave birth.
On Friday, LEX 18 obtained the 97-page case file in the Snelling investigation. Snelling was indicted by a Fayette County grand jury on first-degree manslaughter and other charges in connection with her newborn son's death.
Among the documents in the court file was a search warrant for Snelling's Snapchat account. According to the warrant, a detective detailed a Snapchat group text between her roommates the morning Snelling gave birth at their home on Park Avenue.
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The warrant states that around 4 a.m. on Aug. 27 of last year, one roommate heard loud noises that sounded like something had fallen. Another roommate also reported hearing loud noises, stating whatever caused them was so forceful it knocked a picture off her wall. The noises lasted approximately an hour, according to the warrant.
Later that morning, the warrant states Snelling sent a text to the group chat saying she didn't feel well and had passed out. The roommates, curious of Snelling's account, searched her room and found a blood-soaked towel. They then looked in her closet and found the deceased newborn placed in bags.
According to the warrant, a roommate told police that all the occupants of the residence had suspicions that Snelling was pregnant but never confirmed it with her.
A separate warrant detailed a search of Snelling's phone, which revealed several searches about pregnancy and hashtags for different weeks of pregnancy on Facebook. That warrant stated the Facebook account could contain current or deleted information relating to Snelling's pregnancy, the birth of the full-term baby, and, as the warrant described, "its potential demise."
Snelling is currently staying with her parents in Tennessee as her case moves through court.
