Horror as 'cheerleader's newborn baby found dead' while she went to McDonald's

Laken Snelling, 21 (Image: Fayette County Detention Center)

A cheerleader went to pick up a McDonald's order while her flatmates discovered her newborn baby dead inside a wardrobe, a court has been told. Laken Snelling, 21, is facing charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant after police discovered the body of her newborn baby boy. 

Snelling was a cheerleader at the University of Kentucky. According to prosecutors, she gave birth at around 4am on 27 August.

She entered a not guilty plea in early September to charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. She returned to court on Friday, where she waived her right to a preliminary hearing. She is currently free on bail but remains under house arrest.

Snelling is alleged to have told staff that she "guessed" the baby was alive (Image: Facebook)

Her flatmates reported hearing loud noises coming from her bedroom around that time, according to an affidavit. Snelling told police she remained awake for roughly half an hour after giving birth before losing consciousness and unintentionally falling asleep on top of the baby. The young mum then allegedly fell asleep again and woke up at 7:30am to her alarm, the Mirror has reported. 

When she woke up, the baby boy was "turning blue and purple," leading her to believe he was dead, the affidavit states. Snelling wrapped the baby up "like a burrito and laid it on the floor next to her because it gave her a little comfort in the moment," WKYT reported.

According to the affidavit, Snelling wrapped the baby in a towel, placed the placenta in a black bin bag, and hid it in her wardrobe. When speaking with her flatmates, she explained that the loud noises they had heard were simply the result of her fainting and collapsing.

Police records indicate that afterwards, Snelling left the flat, skipped her 9:30am lecture, and used the McDonald's app to order food, which she later collected from the restaurant. Upon returning home, she was apprehended by the police. 

Police confiscated Snelling's phone and investigators believe she might have deleted images in an attempt to hide evidence of the pregnancy and the newborn baby. They allegedly found several searches "including different things pertaining to pregnancy". Multiple pictures of her in labour have been deleted. 

The woman allegedly told University of Kentucky Labour and Delivery Unit staff that she "guessed" the baby was alive and that she heard the baby "make a whimper". Authorities stated the baby "appeared to be full-term" upon finding the deceased infant in the wardrobe.