Kentucky athlete's arrest after infant found in trash bag draws reactions from both sides of abortion debate

( Christian Post )

A University of Kentucky athlete is facing multiple charges after police found her dead newborn infant hidden in a closet, wrapped in a towel, and concealed inside a black trash bag, drawing reactions from activists on both sides of the abortion debate. 

Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested on Sunday and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant, the Lexington Police Department announced Sunday. During an appearance in court on Tuesday, Snelling pleaded not guilty.

Snelling was released from jail on Monday on a $100,000 bond and placed on house arrest at her parents' home, according to court documents cited by WDKY. The conditions of the student's house arrest require her to wear an ankle monitor. 

Snelling is from White Pine, Tennessee, according to the University of Kentucky Athletics website. The junior is listed as a member of the school's STUNT team. 

"This heartbreaking and tragic incident is all the more painful as Kentucky has a safe haven law that allows parents to surrender their children, no questions asked," the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs said about the case in a statement to The Christian Post. 

Kentucky's Safe Infants Act allows parents to leave a newborn baby under 30 days old at a police station, fire station, an emergency medical services provider or a staffed place of worship without fear of prosecution or allegations of neglect. 

After a parent leaves their newborn at a designated safe place, the staff typically arranges for an examination at a nearby hospital to see if the child requires any further care. The hospital also notifies the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the agency that ensures the baby is placed with an adoptive family. 

"Every woman deserves to have access to and awareness of the resources available to her so that, whether or not she chooses to parent, she and her child may receive excellent healthcare and social support," the pro-life organization continued. 

On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, around 10:30 a.m., officers were dispatched for an unresponsive infant at a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue. When officers arrived, they located an infant who was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

Snelling reportedly admitted she had given birth and attempted to clean up the evidence, according to an arrest citation cited by WLEX.

The citation states that Snelling "admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence, placing all cleaning items used inside of a black trash bag, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel."

Pro-choice writer Jessica Valenti also responded to Snelling's charges. In a video posted on her Instagram on Tuesday, the author and columnist asserted that reporters should refrain from using the word "infant" or "baby" before they have more information about the case. 

Valenti says there have been multiple cases involving women who faced an abuse of a corpse charge after they experienced a miscarriage. She accused media outlets, particularly ones in what she described as "anti-abortion states," of "uncritically parroting" police language, which she argued often uses words like "infant" when describing miscarriages. 

"We don't know what happened in this case, right?" the pro-choice author stated. "Like, is it possible that this was a stillbirth? Is it possible that this was an infant? Of course! Absolutely."

"But we don't know, and they don't know either," Valenti added. "They only know what the police are telling them, and to go off what the police tell you in a post-Dobbs America, using language like 'infants' and 'babies' is [expletive] crazy."

Monica Snyder, the executive director of Secular Pro-Life, a group of pro-life atheists and agnostics who advocate against abortion, agreed with Valenti that using clear and precise language when reporting on a case like this one is important. 

Snyder told CP that the words "infant" or "baby" don't make it clear whether Snelling's child was born alive, or if she experienced a previable or premature birth. In the case of a previable birth, the baby is born before it can survive outside the womb, whereas in a premature birth, a baby is born early but may survive due to medical intervention. 

Another possibility, Snyder said, is that Snelling's baby was killed after a near- or at-term birth, which usually refers to births that occur between 37 and 41 weeks of gestation. In this scenario, Snyder said the baby should have survived but may have been killed instead. 

"These are all very different situations, and it's reasonable to want reporters to be as clear as possible," the pro-life atheist said. "They should either report the gestational age if known, or emphasize that the gestational age is not known yet."

"Such details impact whether Safe Haven laws would even be relevant here," she continued. "If a woman has a previable second-trimester miscarriage, Safe Haven laws have no impact."

"More broadly, while Safe Haven laws and adoption can play important roles, they should be safety nets rather than primary solutions," the executive director of Secular Pro-Life stated. "Our first priority should be supporting and empowering women to raise their own children."