Grand Jury To Review Case — A Fayette County grand jury will hear evidence in late January in the case of 22-year-old Laken Snelling, accused of giving birth in her off‑campus Lexington bedroom and placing the newborn and placenta in a trash bag hidden in a closet. A Dec. 22 subpoena requests medical records from the University of Kentucky Medical Center, which treated Snelling after the alleged Aug. 27 birth. She pleaded not guilty in September and remains under modified house arrest in Tennessee; the initial autopsy was inconclusive, and additional charges may depend on final findings.
Grand Jury Set For Laken Snelling In Case Alleging Newborn Was Hidden In Closet
Laken Snelling/Facebook; Lexington Police DepartmentLaken Snelling
A grand jury in Fayette County, Kentucky, is scheduled to review evidence in late January in the case of 22-year-old Laken Snelling, a former University of Kentucky cheerleader and pageant winner. Court filings and police affidavits obtained by People allege Snelling gave birth in her off‑campus Lexington bedroom on Aug. 27 and then placed the newborn and the placenta in a trash bag that was hidden in a closet.
Lexington Police DepartmentLaken Snelling mugshot
Allegations and Investigation
According to a search-warrant affidavit and police records, Snelling was treated hours after the alleged birth at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Investigators say she spoke with officers during a hospital bed interview and allegedly described falling asleep on the newborn, wrapping the baby in a towel, and putting the infant and placenta in a trash bag before hiding it in her closet. Roommates reportedly called police after hearing noises and later discovering blood in Snelling's room; officers who searched the home found the infant in the closet.
Laken Snelling/FacebookLaken Snelling
Medical Records Subpoena
On Dec. 22, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Jessica Hutchins filed a subpoena in Fayette Circuit Court seeking records from the University of Kentucky Medical Center as part of the prosecution's investigation. The subpoena is intended to help assemble evidence for the grand jury proceeding.
Legal Proceedings And Pretrial Conditions
Snelling was arrested and made her initial court appearance on Sept. 2, when she pleaded not guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse, concealing the birth of an infant and tampering with physical evidence. She waived a preliminary hearing on Sept. 26, which sent the matter to a grand jury. Released on a $100,000 surety bond, Snelling was permitted to spend pretrial time under house arrest at her parents' homes in Tennessee. In late October, a judge modified those conditions to require that she remain at her father's residence and wear an electronic monitoring device at all times.
Possible Additional Charges And Autopsy
The grand jury is expected to consider the three charges Snelling currently faces and could be asked to weigh additional counts, potentially including murder or manslaughter, depending on final autopsy findings. Officials have said the initial autopsy was inconclusive on cause and manner of death. The Fayette County Coroner's Office and the Office of the State Medical Examiner have not issued detailed public comments.
Sources: People magazine reporting, court filings and Lexington Police Department records cited in the affidavit.
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