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.
A university spokesperson said Laken Ashlee Snelling is a senior and a member of the competitive STUNT team, which is similar to competitive cheerleading.
Snelling, 21, was arrested Sunday and booked into the Fayette County Detention Center in Lexington, police said in a statement. She has been charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
Snelling was released Tuesday on $100,000 bond, according to court documents shared with NBC News. The court documents say she was placed on house arrest at her parents' home in Jefferson City, Tennessee, roughly 200 miles from where she was arrested in Kentucky.
Snelling appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon. She largely held her head down throughout the hearing, wearing a red dress and saying little to her attorney.
It was not clear whether Snelling had 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, obtained by NBC affiliate WLEX of Lexington, says officers were dispatched to her residence on Wednesday morning after police received a report that a dead infant was in a closet.
"Infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag," the citation says.
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 said Wednesday that an autopsy was performed but the findings were inconclusive for now.
“Extensive microscopic analyses are essential to determine the cause and manner of death,” the coroner’s office said in a statement.
Coroner Gary W. Ginn said the investigation is ongoing. “Please keep the family and friends as well as the University of Kentucky friends in your thoughts and prayers,” he said.
