Investigation into Cheerleader’s Newborn Death
The former boyfriend of Laiken Snelling, a cheerleader at the University of Kentucky, has undergone DNA testing to determine if he is the father of a newborn that was found deceased in her closet last month.
Izaiah Hall, 21, who used to date Snelling, provided DNA samples to the police. His father, Justin Smith, shared that Hall had questions about whether Snelling was indeed the mother of the child discovered wrapped in a towel and concealed in a garbage bag at her off-campus residence in Lexington.
“Lexington police came to the station to collect the sample from him,” Smith stated, declining to elaborate on the situation.
Hall appears uncertain about whether he is the baby’s father. “I don’t have any more information. I can’t say if Izaiah is the father,” he commented.
Snelling, 21, is said to have had a complicated past, reportedly linked to a homicide before dating former basketball player Connor Jordan. Details about their relationship were circulated in various reports.
It’s unclear who fathered the infant, and Hall has refrained from commenting further. “I don’t want to go into any more detail at this time,” he noted.
Jordan, who played basketball at King College and Tusculum University in Tennessee, previously showed up in multiple posts on Snelling’s social media before her arrest on August 31.
In her last TikTok post from June 25, Snelling featured an emoji representing a mother holding a baby alongside a list of life goals that included a wedding ring, a house, and cash.
The timeline of when she began dating Jordan remains unclear, and he seems to have deleted his social media accounts following the incident.
Snelling has been charged with concealing the birth of a child, tampering with physical evidence, and abuse of a corpse. She was apprehended after authorities received reports about an unresponsive infant in her home.
Reports indicate that she confessed to police about hiding the birth, cleaning up, and disposing of the evidence with the newborn.
The autopsy to determine the cause of the baby’s death has come back inconclusive.
After being released on a $100,000 bond, Snelling was instructed to stay at her parents’ home in Tennessee until her next court appearance on September 26. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges but acknowledged to officials that she concealed the birth and discarded evidence.
Since the incident, Snelling has left school and is no longer a member of the cheerleading team. The university, which resumed classes on August 25, has not disclosed the specifics of her departure.
