Mother, 21, arrested after infant found dead near downtown Lexington

A woman has been arrested and charged with concealing the birth of her child after an infant was found dead near downtown Lexington Wednesday.

Laken Snelling, 21, is charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing a birth of an infant, according to the Lexington Police Department.

On Aug. 27, officers were dispatched around 10:30 a.m. for an unresponsive infant at a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue. When officers arrived, they located an infant, which was pronounced dead at the scene.

Snelling, of White Pine, Tennessee, is a senior at the University of Kentucky, where she studies interdisciplinary disability and is a member of the Kentucky Stunt Team, according to the university’s website.

Jay Blanton, spokesperson for the university, confirmed she is a student. He declined to comment on her arrest.

An autopsy was performed Aug. 29. The Fayette County Coroner’s Office will release the child’s cause of death.

Snelling, who was arrested Wednesday, according to jail logs, is being held in the Fayette County Detention Center as of Sunday afternoon.

The department’s special victims section is continuing its investigation, the release says. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at 859-258-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling 859-253-2020 or online.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Laken Snelling’s hometown.

This story was originally published August 31, 2025 at 1:33 PM.

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.