Kentucky – In a shocking incident in Kentucky, a 21-year-old woman, identified as L. Snelling, is now facing serious criminal charges after authorities found the body of her newborn concealed in a closet. Snelling, a member of the university’s competitive stunt cheer team, has been formally charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant—charges that stem directly from a disturbing discovery made inside a home.
Police were called to a residence shortly before 10:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. The report they received was grim: an unresponsive infant inside the home, located just blocks from the university campus. First responders arrived swiftly, but there was nothing they could do. The baby was pronounced dead at the scene. The full weight of the discovery revealed itself in the arrest affidavit. Officers located the infant wrapped in a towel in a black trash bag. The bag had been deliberately placed inside a closet—hidden from view.
Following the discovery, Snelling was read her rights. Under questioning, she admitted that she had recently given birth. According to police documents, she went on to describe her actions in the hours that followed the delivery. She had cleaned up the scene, placed all cleaning supplies along with the newborn—who was wrapped in a towel—into a black trash bag, and stashed everything in a closet. She also acknowledged trying to erase any trace of the birth by discarding or hiding the materials used in the process. Snelling’s arrest came just days after that disturbing call. The case left many people stunned. The university she attended confirmed that she had been an active member of its stunt cheer team for the past three seasons. A statement from the school acknowledged her role on the team but directed any further questions to local law enforcement.
According to reports, Snelling was studying interdisciplinary disability studies. Social media posts from just months earlier painted a drastically different picture. In one clip shared in June, she spoke about her dreams for the future: to become a mother and to raise a family. That video now casts a haunting shadow over the events that followed. The identity of the child’s father remains unknown, and authorities have yet to release information on who contacted them initially. The coroner’s office is still working to determine the exact cause and manner of death, and officials have not confirmed whether the newborn was alive at birth. The possibility of additional or upgraded charges remains open as the investigation progresses.
After being taken into custody, Snelling was held at the county detention center, though records indicate she has since bonded out. The police department’s Special Victims Section continues to lead the investigation. As of now, court proceedings are pending further results from the medical examiner’s office. Kentucky’s legal climate around reproductive rights has grown increasingly restrictive since 2022, with near-total bans on abortion and no exceptions for ra-e or incest. Whether this broader context had any bearing on Snelling’s decisions is unclear, but the state’s laws continue to place sharp limits on reproductive options. Anyone with further information related to the case is urged to contact police at (859) 258-3600.
