The mystery surrounding the death of a newborn found in his cheerleader mother’s closet has deepened as his autopsy was inconclusive, according to officials.
University of Kentucky student Laken Snelling, 21, was arrested after police found her newborn baby boy inside a trash bag in her closet in her Lexington home.
The Fayette County Coroner’s Office said in the baby’s autopsy report that it will conduct ‘extensive microcosmic analyses’ to determine the cause and manner of death.
‘I understand the community’s concern and sensitivity surrounding the death of a child. This death affects many lives in our neighboring state of Tennessee and as well as those in the Commonwealth.
‘We are currently conducting a thorough and methodical death investigation to ensure all facts are carefully considered.’
Snelling was released on a $100,000 bond and ordered to home incarceration at her parents’ home in Jefferson City, Tennessee, as reported by NBC News.
She pleaded not guilty to charges abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant.
Snelling (pictured) has used her account to share news of upcoming beauty pageants, captioning her latest post on June 11: ‘There is a pageant for EVERYONE!’
Images posted on social media in recent months also showed Snelling with what appeared to be a stomach bump
Snelling is a member of the University of Kentucky ‘stunt team,’ a competitive cheer program
Fayette County Coroner Gary W. Ginn told Daily Mail on Thursday that further microscopic analyses would involve taking tissue from the infant to further study it. Ginn said the brain would also be looked at by a neuroscientist.
‘There’s a time frame that the tissue has to set before it can be examined just grossly as well as microscopically. So that adds time to our final autopsy report,’ the coroner said.
He added: ‘A lot of times when you look at the brain, as well as the bony structures, the skull, the dura mater, all those things with the naked eye when the autopsy is being performed, you might be able to see that there are injuries. But until you look at the brain microscopically, you might look at the structures and not really think that there might be the injuries — that there could be internal hemorrhaging or something of that nature of the brain. So, it has to be looked at more microscopically than just grossly with the naked eye.’
Snelling, who was accompanied by her family, mostly kept her head down during the court appearance on Tuesday and nodded as the judge outlined her release conditions.
Her father was seen holding her hand as she walked out of the courtroom.
Police made the gruesome discovery on Wednesday after they were called to Snelling’s home for a report of ‘a deceased infant being located inside of a closet’ on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The baby was pronounced dead at the scene but a cause of death remains unclear pending an autopsy.
It’s not clear who called police to report the alleged crime.
An arrest citation said the ‘infant was located wrapped in a towel inside of a black trash bag.’
Laken Snelling, 21, sported a pink dress and heavy make-up for her court appearance Tuesday\
‘By wrapping the infant in towels and placing it inside of a black trash bag, the listed suspect treated the corpse in a way that would outrage ordinary family sensibilities,’ the police report said.’
Snelling admitted to concealing the birth by cleaning any evidence before hiding the supplies and the infant, who was wrapped in a towel, in a trash bag, according to the citation.
She is next scheduled in court on September 26.
The student, who allegedly admitted to giving birth to the baby before her arrest, posted images in June where her boyfriend held her stomach, which appeared to have a visible bump.
Other images posted on social media in recent months also showed Snelling with what appeared to be a stomach bump.
However it’s not clear if Snelling had announced a pregnancy to anyone.
World-renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael M. Baden provided the Daily Mail with additional insight as to why Kentucky authorities need further microscopic testing on the baby’s remains.
‘They could be looking to see if there’s any infection that the baby might’ve had,’ Baden said. ‘Sometimes, babies can be infected in utero, which could also lead to death.
‘If the baby were born alive, a lot will depend on what the mom says. If they’re doing microscopic studies, they’re looking to see if there’s any bacteria or infection that could cause death of a baby. And so that there are a number of things they have to do to be certain whether the baby had breathed in air after delivery.’
Baden added evidence on whether the newborn had air in the lungs is crucial to the investigation.
‘If there’s air in the baby’s lungs, that could be evidence that the baby was born alive. If there’s no air in the lungs, that could mean the baby was probably born dead.’
He said the coroners and investigators also must factor in the amount of decomposition.
‘However, if a few days have passed, whether it’s warm, decomposition can set in. Decomposition of a dead baby would create air in the lungs,’ the famed pathologist said. ‘So, they really have to be careful when they are conducting these tests to determine the manner and cause of death.’
