(NewsNation) — The University of Kentucky cheerleader accused of hiding her dead newborn in the closet of her off-campus housing wasn’t home when her child was found dead, according to police reports.
Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested Aug. 31 and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant after police responded to a call about an unresponsive infant on Aug. 27, according to a Lexington Police Department news release.
NewsNation’s Lexington affiliate WDKY obtained police reports that shed new light on what led up to police finding the infant dead in Snelling’s closet.
Snelling wasn’t at home and didn’t make the call to officers, who responded to third-party reports of an unresponsive infant, according to the Lexington Police Department’s incident report obtained by WDKY.
“Complainant just found a dead baby in a closet; it is cold to the touch,” a dispatcher noted.
Laken Snelling admitted to giving birth: police documents
The police reports lay out a timeline of when the baby was found, and Snelling’s arrest.
Dispatch received the first 911 call at 10:34 a.m. Rescuers arrived on the scene in less than a minute, and police got there about seven minutes later. When police got to the scene, they found the unresponsive infant wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in the closet, along with cleaning supplies.
Snelling was found nearby shortly after, at around 11 a.m. The University of Kentucky Police Department was asked to assist in searching for her but was notified at around 11:18 a.m. that she’d been found.
By noon, dispatch said Snelling had been taken to a police station and asked to be medically “checked out.” She was considered under arrest at 4:58 p.m.
When police interviewed Snelling, she “admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel,” according to WDKY.
Laken Snelling withdraws from university
The cause and manner of the infant’s death have yet to be made public after the Fayette County Coroner report was inconclusive.
Snelling was released from the Fayette County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond on Sept. 2.
Originally from White Pine, Tennessee, Snelling was a member of the University of Kentucky’s cheer STUNT team for three years, according to the University of Kentucky Athletics website.
She withdrew from the University of Kentucky following her arrest and entered a not guilty plea. She is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 26 for a preliminary hearing.
NewsNation’s Patrick Djordjevic contributed to this report.