Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Episode: BEAUTY-QUEEN-CHEERLEADER'S BABY DEAD IN CLOSET, GRAND JURY SET: LAKEN SNELLING
Date: January 11, 2026
Host: Nancy Grace
Guests: Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst), Dr. Kendall Crowns (Chief Medical Examiner), Josh Colesrude (Defense Attorney, former prosecutor), Herminia Rodriguez (DailyMail.com), Chris Byers (Private Investigator, former police chief)

Episode Overview

The episode centers on the disturbing case of Laken Snelling, a 22-year-old University of Kentucky cheerleader and former beauty queen, who is accused of concealing the birth and death of her newborn baby. The infant was found dead, wrapped in towels and placed in a trash bag in Snelling's closet. As prosecutors prepare for a grand jury hearing, Nancy Grace and her expert panel dissect the timeline, forensic challenges, legal process, and psychological factors surrounding the tragedy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Background: Who is Laken Snelling?

• Snelling: Varsity cheerleader, beauty queen (Jefferson County Fairest of the Fair), "real-life Barbie" persona on social media.
• Lives in an all-pink "Barbie" apartment; has a following for selling wardrobe items; appeared to maintain an active social and romantic life.
• Host Nancy Grace and psychoanalyst Dr. Bethany Marshall explore the disconnect between Snelling's crafted image and the underlying reality.
  • Quote (Dr. Bethany Marshall, 06:13): “This woman's life is wrapped in fantasy, not reality. The fantasy of having a baby seems a lot more compelling to her than the reality of a baby.”

Discovery of the Infant (09:44)

• On a Wednesday morning, police respond to reports of an unresponsive infant in Snelling's student apartment closet, where the baby is found dead in a trash bag.
• Snelling returns to the scene, allegedly admits to cleaning up after giving birth to conceal what happened.
• The case parallels other incidents where newborns are wrapped in blankets, hidden, and treated as disposable.
  • Quote (Nancy Grace, 09:53): “How did the baby end up wrapped in a blanket in her closet? Do you think it wrapped itself up and went in the closet and died?”

Forensic Challenges: Determining Cause of Death

• Medical records from University of Kentucky Medical Center have been subpoenaed.
• Dr. Kendall Crowns explains that autopsy results remain inconclusive; much hinges on whether the infant was born alive.
  • Forensic methods include the lung "float test" (testing if lungs float in water as proof of first breath), microscopic analysis, examination of placenta, umbilical cord, and physical trauma.
  • Quote (Dr. Crowns, 26:32): “You do a lung test: if the lungs float, that means the baby was born alive…”
• If the cause of death is not homicide (e.g., stillbirth), murder charges will likely not proceed.

Legal and Systemic Issues

• Snelling waived her preliminary hearing; the grand jury will likely review charges including abuse of a corpse, concealing birth, and possibly homicide or manslaughter.
• Host and guests raise concern over how infanticide is treated in the justice system, often charged less severely than adult homicides.
  • Quote (Nancy Grace, 10:14): “When the victim is a baby, very often you see that case pled down… somehow it's treated as less important.”
• Legal precedent: The case is compared to Skylar Richardson (Ohio), who was acquitted of murder but found guilty of abuse of a corpse, and Emily Weaver, sentenced to life after asphyxiating her child (41:24–45:01).

Psychological Analysis of Motives and Fantasy (34:11)

• Dr. Marshall delves into text messages by Snelling focused on motherhood, ideal family, and “mini me” desires, interpreting them as a “preoccupation with an idealized life,” detachment from the real baby, and “self-centeredness.”
  • Quote (Dr. Bethany Marshall, 34:11): “…she’s preoccupied with having an idealized life with a little girl who’s just like her… wrapped up in her own world.”
• Dr. Marshall notes that lack of prenatal care and denial of pregnancy suggest profound dissociation from reality.

Critical Details and New Information

• Mystery remains over who discovered the body and called 911 (14:47, 18:55). Reports suggest suspicion among roommates who noticed Snelling's physical changes, and possibly a dog alerting them to the closet.
• No visible injuries reported for mother or baby at autopsy (30:34).
• Snelling claims in hospital interviews the baby "fell onto the floor" during birth and admits to cleaning up, then leaving for McDonald’s before returning to find police at her apartment (39:25).
  • Quote (Nancy Grace, 39:25): “She allegedly admits to giving birth, falling asleep on the newborn, wrapping the baby in a towel and putting him in a trash bag, along with the placenta… and headed out to attend class. Instead of class she chose to go to McDonald’s.”

Bond, House Arrest, and Public Perception

• Snelling out on $100k bond, house arrest at her parents’ home, no ankle monitor required, provoking questions about privilege and bias in bail decisions (37:44–38:53).
  • Quote (Nancy Grace, 38:31): “Is she pretty for jail? …She’s just too cute?”

Expert Commentary: Asphyxiation and "Soft Kill" (45:50)

• Dr. Crowns confirms asphyxiation by trash bag is a possible cause of death; “soft kill” is discussed as a typically gendered pattern in neonaticides.
  • Quote (Crowns, 46:32): “…the mother places [the infant] in the trash bag and seals it…there’s not enough oxygen in there for the child to survive.”
• Discussion on how society and families may overlook “warning signs” or dismiss the offspring’s fate due to shock and denial.

Comparisons to Other High-Profile Neonaticide Cases

• Emily Weaver and Alexee Trevizo: College-age women who birthed and disposed of newborns in similar circumstances (41:13–45:01).
• Skylar Richardson: Cheerleader acquitted of murder but convicted of abusing a corpse. Raised as an example of how legal outcomes can hinge on forensic ambiguity (12:07–13:17, 46:53–47:55).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the enduring focus on the accused, not the victim (A, 26:34):
  “Nobody is talking about the baby boy that’s lying on a morgue table getting its chest sliced open, its lungs removed and put in water. Why does it have to be all about her?”

• Dr. Bethany Marshall on psychological dissociation (C, 36:03):
  “In order to plan for an abortion you have to be tethered to reality… I doubt she even went to a doctor… was this sort of a pipe dream about having a baby at some point in her life but at that point she didn’t imagine herself to be pregnant…”

• Nancy Grace (A, 25:57):
  “You have to remain detached… but… you do a float test on the lungs. That means the baby is sliced open, its lungs are removed and dunked in water… This is a baby…”

• Legal Inequity (A, 38:31):
  “Is she pretty for jail? …She’s just too cute?”

• On the psychological profile (C, 34:11):
  “…attached to herself and… the idea of an idealized life… this baby probably was getting in the way of some scheme or plan that she already had…”

• On systemic leniency (A, 10:14):
  “When the victim is a baby… it’s often pled down to voluntary or involuntary manslaughter…”

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:34 | Opening: Summary of charges, grand jury, and medical subpoenas | | 04:08 | Background on Laken Snelling, her public image, and social media | | 06:13 | Dr. Bethany Marshall: Fantasy vs. reality, the "Barbie" persona | | 09:44 | Discovery of the infant; police and Snelling’s alleged statements | | 10:14 | Discussion of legal disparities in justice for infant victims | | 12:07 | Skylar Richardson case comparison | | 14:47 | Who discovered the body — roommate/dog/911 call speculation | | 16:29 | Denial of pregnancy from Snelling and cheer team, analysis of maternal detachment | | 20:46 | Dr. Kendall Crowns: Forensics, autopsy procedures explained | | 24:02 | "Float test" explained in layperson’s terms | | 26:34 | Emphasis on the baby's plight, not just the accused | | 30:34 | No injuries confirmed for mother or baby | | 34:11 | Analysis of Snelling’s texts; psychological factors influencing decision-making | | 37:44 | Bond, house arrest, and public perceptions of leniency for Snelling | | 39:25 | Snelling’s account: birth, clean-up, trip to McDonald’s, roommates’ suspicions, police response | | 41:13–45:01| Weaver and Trevizo cases; discussion of asphyxiation and "soft kill" methods | | 46:32 | Dr. Crowns: Explanation of asphyxiation risk from being sealed in a bag | | 47:06–47:55| Skylar Richardson: Parental reactions, daughter's admission, legal perspective | | 48:12 | Chris Byers: Commentary on self-absorption and disregard for infant victims | | 50:11 | Conclusion: Pending grand jury, cause of death still unknown, Snelling’s legal status |

Summary Takeaways

• Laken Snelling awaits a grand jury decision after her deceased newborn was found in her closet; cause of death is critical to whether she faces murder charges.
• Panelists argue that infanticide is under-prosecuted and that suspects often benefit from societal bias and legal ambivalence.
• Snelling’s “real-life Barbie” persona, social media posts, and texts are interpreted as signs of psychological detachment and fantasy life.
• Complex forensic evidence, particularly about whether the infant was born alive and cause of death (asphyxiation vs. stillbirth), will be decisive.
• Similar cases involving young women hiding pregnancies and disposing of babies are referenced, highlighting social denial and legal inconsistencies.
• The episode underscores the disparity between media focus on the accused versus the infant victim, and questions how privilege may shape justice outcomes in high-profile cases.

For listeners or readers seeking more detail, the episode is a sobering examination of legal accountability, psychological denial, and the grim realities of concealed neonaticide.