LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Fayette County grand jury has indicted Laken Snelling on first-degree manslaughter and other charges in connection with the death of her newborn son in August 2025.
The grand jury returned the indictment on March 10, adding the manslaughter charge to existing charges Snelling already faced. She is now charged with manslaughter in the first degree, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
The case began on Aug. 27, 2025, when Lexington Police officers were called to a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue around 10:30 a.m. for an unresponsive infant. Officers arrived to find the infant, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office later determined the infant was born alive and that his cause of death was asphyxia by undetermined means.
Court documents detail the events leading up to the discovery. LEX 18 previously reported that Snelling gave birth at around 4 a.m. on Aug. 27. Her roommates reported hearing loud noises around that time. Snelling later told police she did not believe the baby was alive.
According to court documents, Snelling told police she passed out on top of the baby, and when she woke, she saw the baby turning blue and purple. She then wrapped the baby in a towel, believing he was dead.
Covering Kentucky
Commonwealth subpoenas medical records of woman connected to infant's death
When Snelling woke again at 7:30 a.m., she placed the baby and the placenta in a black trash bag and put it in her closet, court documents read.
Around 8:40 a.m., Snelling told her roommates she had passed out early that morning, explaining the loud noises they had heard. She then told them she was going to the doctor because she had not eaten and had not been feeling well.
Snelling also told medical staff at UK Hospital that the baby made a whimper and that she guessed the baby was alive, the documents claim.
Records from Lexington Police indicate the newborn appeared to be full term when discovered.
