NEED TO KNOW
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Laken Snelling appeared in court on Friday, Sept. 26, when she waived her right to a preliminary hearing after her newborn baby was discovered dead in her bedroom closet
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The former University of Kentucky student, 21, left the courtroom surrounded by multiple supporters after her minute-long appearance
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Snelling’s case will now go to a grand jury
Laken Snelling, the former University of Kentucky STUNT team member whose dead newborn was discovered in a trash bag in her bedroom closet, was supported by multiple people during a recent court appearance.
The 21-year-old appeared in front of a judge for less than a minute on Friday, Sept. 26. About 10 women were present to support Snelling, per WLKY. According to WLWT, the women were her former classmates.
During her brief appearance, Snelling waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Now, a grand jury will be presented with evidence and will decide whether or not to indict Snelling.
The young woman’s hearing took place weeks after her first court appearance on Sept. 2, when she was charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. Snelling entered a not guilty plea to the charges.
When reached by PEOPLE, Snelling’s attorney declined to comment.
Lexington Police Department
Laken Snelling
Officers with the Lexington Police Department (LPD) initially responded to an off-campus home, just a few blocks from the university, on Aug. 27, after getting a call about a baby that was found dead in a closet, according to a copy of an arrest report previously obtained by PEOPLE.
The call did not come from Snelling, according to the report. She was not home when officers arrived at the scene.
The dead newborn was found wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag, along with cleaning supplies, according to the arrest report.
Officers were able to track Snelling down a short while later, and they took her into custody. Once in custody, Snelling allegedly admitted to giving birth and putting the baby in the trash, and said she needed medical assistance, per the report.
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An autopsy to determine the newborn’s cause of death proved inconclusive, and the medical examiner’s report said that more testing would be required.
After her initial arrest, Snelling was held at the Fayette County Detention Center until Sept. 2, when the judge allowed Snelling to be placed on house arrest at her family home in Tennessee after posting a $100,000 surety bond.
At that same time, Snelling elected to withdraw from the University of Kentucky, a school spokesperson told PEOPLE.
Prior to that, she had been a member of the school’s STUNT team, which finished as runners-up at last year’s NCAA competition.
Read the original article on People
