A 21-year-old University of Kentucky athlete was arrested and accused of hiding her dead infant, wrapped in a towel, in a trash bag in a closet to conceal the recent birth, police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Laken Ashlee Snelling, who a univeristy spokesperson said was a senior and a member of the competitive cheer stunt team, is expected to be charged with concealing the birth of an infant, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse, according to a police citation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was arrested Sunday and booked into the Fayette County Detention Center, Lexington, Kentucky, police said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not clear if Snelling has a lawyer. The state Department of Public Advocacy, which provides some defendants with legal representation, did not immediately respond to a request for information Monday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lexington police arrest citation for Snelling, obtained by NBC affiliate WLEX of Lexington<\/a>, states officers were dispatched to her residence Wednesday morning after receiving a report that a deceased infant was in a closet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag,” the citation states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police said Snelling agreed to be interviewed and told officers she had given birth and tried to conceal evidence of the birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Fayette County Coroner\u2019s Office is investigating the infant’s cause of death, police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n