Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Former Teen Beauty Queen Accused of Dumping Deceased Newborn in Trash Bag | Crime Alert 6AM 09.03.25

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

A University of Kentucky cheerleader is arrested after police find her newborn baby dead in a closet, wrapped in a towel and stuffed inside a trash bag. A man is found dead in a pool of blood during the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada, and police are treating it as a homicide. A University of Kentucky cheerleader is arrested after police find her newborn baby dead in a closet, wrapped in a towel and stuffed inside a trash bag. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. I'm Drew Nelson. A University of Kentucky cheerleader is arrested after police find her newborn baby dead in a closet, wrapped in a towel, stuffed inside a trash bag. Lake and Snelling, age 21, was taken into custody on Sunday. Four days earlier, officers had been called to her home on Park Avenue in Lexington. They arrived just after 10.30 that morning and found the baby in a closet. The infant was already dead. According to court records, Snelling admitted she had given birth and, quote, cleaned any evidence placing all cleaning items used inside of a black bag with the infant. She now faces charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. The official cause of the baby's death has not been released. The Fayette County Coroner's office is still reviewing the case.

The university confirms Snelling is the baby's mother. Snelling is a senior at the University of Kentucky, and she's been a member of the school's stunt team for the last. three seasons. Stunt is a competitive cheerleading sport that focuses on skill-based routines like stunts, jumps, pyramids, and tumbling. It is described by the university as one of the fastest growing female sports in the country. Snelling is originally from White Pine, Tennessee. She once held the title of Jefferson County's Fairest of the Fair. She was studying interdisciplinary disability studies and often posted about pageants and her dream of one day becoming a mother in June. She shared a video listing quote-unquote being a mom as one of her life goals.

Snelling posted a $100,000 bond and was released on home incarceration without an ankle monitor. She's required to live with her parents. The Lexington Police Department's special victim section is still investigating. Anyone with information is urged to call 859-258-3600 or submit an anonymous tip at bluegrasscrimesoppers.com. Kentucky's safe haven law allows parents to surrender newborns up to 30 days old at hospitals, fire stations, police stations, or with emergency medical workers without fear of

prosecution. The law also supports the use of safe haven baby boxes, secure, temperature-controlled, drop-off locations that allow for anonymous surrender of infants. These boxes are built into some fire stations and hospitals. They alert staff immediately once a baby is placed inside. As of this year, there are multiple safe haven baby boxes across the state of Kentucky, including one less than 10 minutes from the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington. More crime and justice news after this. A man is found dead in a pool of blood during the annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada, and police are treating it as a homicide.

The body was discovered 9.14 p.m. Saturday as the festival's signature wooden effigy, aka the man, was set ablaze. A participant flagged down a deputy in Black Rock City and reported the scene. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office, along with the Bureau of Land Management Rangers and Black Rock Rangers, responded and found a white man on the ground, describing him as, quote, obviously deceased. Deputy said the man appeared to be between 35 and 40, around 6 feet, 200 with short brown hair and facial hair. His body was sent to the Washoe County Medical Examiner's Office. His name has not yet been released. No one has been arrested as the investigation continues.

Authorities say the area where the body was found will remain under. police control until the scene is processed. Law enforcement also said they are interviewing witnesses and reviewing any available tips. Burning Man organizers said in a statement, quote, the safety and well-being of our community are paramount. Police called the investigation complicated because the scene is inside a temporary desert city that will vanish within days. They believe the killing was a, quote, singular crime. Burning Man typically draws over 70,000 people each year to the Black Rock Desert about 110 miles north of Reno. The festival is known for its mix of art, fire, and survival camping in a remote setting. This year's gathering began August 24th and

ended Monday. A New York City doctor is sentenced to 24 years in prison for drugging and raping unconscious women, including hospital patients he was meant to treat. Xi Alan Cheng, age 35, once worked as a gastroenterologist at New York Presbyterian Queens. He pleaded guilty in June to four counts of rape and three counts of sexual abuse. He also entered an Alford plea on a separate count claiming innocence, but admitting the state had enough evidence to convict. A judge handed down the sentence 24 years, 10 years of post-release supervision, and lifetime sex offender registration. The court heard that Chang abused at least eight women between 2020 and 2022. He filmed many of his crimes, some taking place in his apartment in

Astoria Queens, others happening in the hospital where the women were sedated for treatment. Many victims only learned what happened to them after prosecutors showed them videos. One, woke up in the middle of the assault. A woman who found herself in one of Chang's videos first alerted the police. That led to a search of Chang's home. Investigators found thousands of files, including more videos showing Chang groping and raping unconscious women. Some of them patients, some of them women he met online.

Some of them have not been identified. Authorities also found cocaine, fentanyl, ketamine, MDMA, LSD, and surgical sedatives like Propofal and Sevoflorine. In court, Chang said, quote, I want to apologize to the victims for my heinous crimes, and I will atone for my actions for the rest of my life. The judge said, quote, I don't believe that 24 years is enough for the crimes you committed. Chang had faced over 50 charges at the start of the case. A trial could have resulted in a life sentence, but prosecutors said they accepted a plea to protect victims from having to relive the assaults in court. One prosecutor said,

quote, I saw the horror on their faces, the confusion, and saw their ability to trust, Shatter. New York Presbyterian said in a statement, quote, the crimes committed by this individual are heinous, despicable, and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and the patient's trust. Victim's lawyers said the hospital bears some blame. Civil lawsuits against both Chang and New York Presbyterian are ongoing. For the latest crime and justice news, follow Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Drew Nelson. This is an IHeart podcast.