A former University of Kentucky cheerleader was sentenced Friday to ten years in prison for killing her newborn son and hiding his body in a trash bag inside her Lexington home.
Laken Snelling, 22, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree manslaughter, concealing the birth of an infant, tampering with physical evidence, and abuse of a corpse. Under the terms of her sentence, she will be eligible for parole only after serving 85 percent of her term and will not be eligible for probation.
At her August plea hearing, Snelling tearfully described what happened the day her son was born.
“I was under a lot of emotional stress and my baby came unexpectedly,” she said. “And instead of helping him I ended his life and afterwards I cleaned up and didn’t tell anyone.”
Before Friday’s sentencing, the court heard that the baby had been named McCoy Cade Hall. A relative described the grief of losing the chance to watch him grow up.
“As a grandparent, you imagine the memories you’ll make with your grandchildren,” the relative said, recalling hopes for “first words, kisses, and all the little moments that become lifelong memories.” “You look forward to watching them grow and seeing the person they become. For Cade, those possibilities were taken away before he ever had the chance to experience them.”
How the case unfolded
Lexington police were called to Snelling’s off-campus home on August 27, 2025, after her roommates reported finding a dead newborn wrapped in a towel, placed in a trash bag, and hidden in a closet. Roommates also told 911 dispatchers they had discovered a blood-soaked towel on the floor and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined the baby had been born alive and died of asphyxia by undetermined means.
Snelling initially gave investigators conflicting accounts of what happened. She first said the baby fell to the floor after birth and that she did not believe he was breathing or alive. She later told police she had passed out on top of her son and woke to find him turning blue and purple. She subsequently told hospital staff that the baby had made a whimper after birth and showed some fetal movement.
Investigators said Snelling took several photos of herself during labor but later deleted them in what prosecutors described as an attempt to hide the birth. She had initially pleaded not guilty in April before later admitting in court that she caused her son’s death by depriving him of oxygen.
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