Cheerleader leaves newborn in closet before going to McDonald’s. Then her roommate opens the closet door: ‘Wrapped him like a burrito’
She walked out, but the truth was waiting inside
Going out for McDonald’s is an ordinary part of college life. But one Kentucky cheerleader reportedly left her dead newborn baby inside a closet before heading out for food. What her roommates discovered afterward was horrifying.
Her roommates had heard loud noises coming from her bedroom hours earlier, but her explanation didn’t quite add up. And when they decided to investigate, they found something far worse than they expected.
According to Law&Crime, former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling, 22, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing her son. The truth about what happened that morning eventually emerged in court.
Her words in court changed everything
On August 27, 2025, Snelling gave birth to a baby boy at a house on Park Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky. Around 4 a.m., her roommates reportedly heard loud noises coming from her bedroom. The sounds were apparently strong enough to knock a picture off the wall, and one roommate claimed they continued for about an hour.
The roommates discussed the noises in a Snapchat group chat. Just before 9 a.m., Snelling reportedly explained that she had passed out because she wasn’t feeling well and hadn’t eaten enough. She also mentioned getting checked out by a doctor.
But her explanation didn’t satisfy her roommates. After Snelling reportedly left to get McDonald’s, they entered her bedroom to investigate. Inside, they found a blood-soaked towel and a plastic bag containing evidence of childbirth. Then they discovered a newborn boy wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag in her closet.
The roommates called Lexington police around 10:30 a.m., but the newborn baby was already dead. Investigators later learned that the roommates had suspected Snelling might be pregnant, although they had never confirmed it with her.
When questioned by police, Snelling initially claimed she had given birth and passed out on top of her baby. After waking up, she reportedly noticed that he was turning blue and purple. Believing he had died, she “wrapped him like a burrito” and lay beside him because it gave her some comfort.
However, investigators uncovered details that raised further questions. Medical staff reportedly told authorities that Snelling had described her baby making a whimper and showing some movement after birth. She apparently acknowledged that she had guessed he was alive.
The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the baby was born alive and died of asphyxia by undetermined means. Investigators also found pregnancy-related searches, labor photographs, and evidence that Snelling had concealed her pregnancy.
Cases of infant abandonment by mothers are disturbing enough. But Snelling’s admission revealed something even more troubling than her initial explanation.
In August 2026, Snelling pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant.
“Instead of helping him, I ended his life,” she admitted tearfully in court. When pressed for details, she acknowledged, “I deprived him of oxygen.”
During her October 16 sentencing, Snelling revealed that she had named her son McCoy Cade Hall. His biological father, Izaiah Hall, and his family addressed the court.
“He was not garbage; he was the most beautiful, perfect, innocent, full-term baby boy,” Hall’s sister said, according to WKYT.
Judge Diane Minnifield sentenced Snelling to 10 years in prison after considering her age and lack of a criminal record. She was immediately taken into custody and will become eligible for parole after serving 85% of her sentence.
For the baby’s family, however, the punishment doesn’t erase their unanswered questions. Prosecutor Kimberly Baird acknowledged that they were still struggling to understand why this happened. As she put it, no prison sentence could truly make things right for them.
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