University of Kentucky Cheerleader Arrested, Cops Say Dead Infant Found in Closet

A competitive cheerleader at the University of Kentucky is facing criminal charges after cops say they found a dead infant wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag in a closet … and police say she’s the child’s mother.

The Lexington Police Department says 21-year-old Laken Snelling was arrested Sunday and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.

Police say they were dispatched last Wednesday morning to a residence near the UK campus when a call came in for a “deceased infant located inside of a closet.”

Cops say when they arrived, they found the child and pronounced the infant dead at the scene.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Snelling told officers she was the child’s mother and “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.”

The Fayette County Coroner’s Office will determine the infant’s cause of death after an investigation.

Snelling was booked at the Fayette County Detention Center and she reportedly posted $100,000 bond and is on home incarceration with no ankle monitor.