A University of Kentucky cheerleader is accused of hiding a dead baby in closet

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.

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.

She was arrested Sunday and booked into the Fayette County Detention Center, Lexington, Kentucky, police said in a statement.

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.

The Lexington police arrest citation for Snelling, obtained by NBC affiliate WLEX of Lexington, states officers were dispatched to her residence Wednesday morning after receiving a report that a deceased infant was in a closet.

“Infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag,” the citation states.

Police said Snelling agreed to be interviewed and told officers she had given birth and tried to conceal evidence of the birth.

The Fayette County Coroner’s Office is investigating the infant’s cause of death, police said.