Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Former UKY Cheerleader Pleads Guilty in Death of Newborn Son | Crime Alert 08.24.26

Episode Date: August 24, 2026

Former University of Kentucky cheerleader Laken Snelling enters a guilty plea after her newborn infant was discovered deceased in a trash bag inside a closet. In Pennsylvania, an incoming college soccer player is brutally stabbed to death by her boyfriend, whose mother allegedly helped clean the crime scene and conceal evidence. A Colorado husband faces first-degree murder charges after claiming his wife committed suicide, as investigators uncover defensive fingernail wounds and an undisclosed extramarital affair. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. The new Red Bull Dragonberry and Tropic Berry Energizers, now at McDonald's, made with freeze-dried fruit, and an electric burst of flavor. The all-new Red Bull Energizers, now at McDonald's. This product may not be right for you. High in caffeine, details at McDonald's.cai at participating Canadian restaurants, excluding Quebec.

Crime alert, hourly update, breaking crime news now. I'm Sidney Silvani. A former University of Kentucky student athlete faces up to 10 years in prison after changing her plea and pleading guilty in connection with the tragic death of her newborn baby boy. 22-year-old Lakin Snelling was once celebrated as a standout student, Division I athlete, and community volunteer, as heard in this local pageant introduction. Good evening. Representing Jefferson County Fair, I am Lakin Snelly. Kentucky, as she's 20 years of age. Her parents are Terry and Michelle Snelling of Morrison, making the needs list while also being a student athlete,

Division I athlete on the stunt team at the University of Kentucky, 100 plus community service hours in the past year. honored to be crowned at Jefferson County Bears did the fair and being able to represent her county. That public persona shattered on Friday when Snelling changed her plea in Fayette County Court. Snelling was indicted by a Fayette County grand jury on a slew of charges, including abuse of a corpse,

tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant. Commonwealth's attorney Kimberly Baird stated that Snelling's defense attorney approached prosecutors as plans changed. leading to a plea deal for first-degree manslaughter that was accepted by the grand jury. In a tearful admission before Judge Diane Minnefield, Snelling wet as she confessed that she was under emotional stress,

her baby arrived unexpectedly, and instead of helping him, she ended his life by depriving him of oxygen. Lexington police officers responded to reports of an unresponsive infant on August 27, 2024, finding the child's cold remains in a trash bag in a closet. According to court affidavits, Snelling admitted hearing the newborn whimper and seeing fetal movement before passing out on top of him. When she woke up and saw the baby turning blue and purple, she wrapped him like a burrito, told roommate she fainted from not eating, picked up McDonald's, visited a health clinic without entering, and deleted labor photos from her phone. More Crime and Justice News after this. Energizers, now at McDonald's, made with freeze-dried fruit, and an electric burst of flavor.

The all-new Red Bull Energizers, now at McDonald's. This product may not be right for you. High in caffeine, details at McDonald's.ca, at participating Canadian restaurants, excluding Quebec. Turning now to Pennsylvania, where an incoming college freshman's life was tragically cut short, and police say the suspect's mother actively stepped in to help cover up the murder. Caroline Hines, an 18-year-old incoming freshman on the Pennsylvania Western University California soccer team, met her boyfriend, 18-year-old Royce Moser, outside his father's North Straybane residents, to talk. According to criminal complaints, an argument erupted

while sitting in her vehicle. Moser allegedly told investigators that a demon took over him, instructing him to stab his girlfriend. Moser told Hynes to wait because he had something for her, went inside to retrieve a knife, returned, and stabbed her directly in the chest. As Heights fell from the vehicle, police say Moser dragged her into the rear hatch of her Jeep Cherokee and called his mother, Rachel Moser, for help. Court documents state Rachel Moser told her son to bring the car to her home, pull into the garage, and help clean the vehicle using disinfectant spray. She allegedly provided latex gloves, instructed him to follow her vehicle toward the campus,

and left the victim's car in a parking lot near the California Library. She then placed the murder weapon into a garbage bag for disposal and washed her son's bloodstained clothes. Officers found Heinz's body shortly after midnight with noticeable blood spatter visible inside and outside the vehicle. Royce Moser is charged with homicide, tampering, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy, and obstruction. His mother, Rachel, faces hindering apprehension, tampering, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy. and obstruction charges. Finally, in Colorado, a husband's claim that his wife took her own life has completely collapsed following an investigation by local law enforcement. 40-year-old Patrick Barnett of Lakewood faces first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased body, and tampering with physical

evidence in the death of his 37-year-old wife, Lindsay Barnett. Patrick called 911 on August 13th, claiming Lindsay suffered from postpartum depression and cut her own throat in the shower stall. However, Detective Victoria Wagner noted that investigators immediately doubted his story. Crime scene officers found large amounts of blood and blood clots on the right side of the bed, with minimal blood inside the bathroom. Furthermore, police documented fresh defensive fingernail scratches across Patrick's right arm, chest, abdomen, and collarbone, alongside a fresh cut to his thumb. Lindsay's mother, Donna Ott, refuted claims of suicidal ideation,

emphasizing that her daughter was an art teacher at Hutchinson in Westgate Elementary Schools who loved her two children and was making plans for the school year. Hours after the body was found, a woman claiming to be Patrick's girlfriend requested a welfare check, revealing she and Patrick texted constantly and had met online three months earlier through the ultimate disc community. Patrick subsequently admitted to the extramarital affair. Hutchinson principal Deanne Hoffman remembered Lindsay as a dedicated educator who brought passion and a sweet soul to her students. For more crime and justice news, be sure to join us for crime stories with Nancy Grace on Fox 1, YouTube, Sirius XM, and now streaming on Tubey. With this

crime alert, I'm Sidney-Silvani. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.