Inset: Laken Snelling (University of Kentucky). Background: Home in Lexington, Kentucky, where she allegedly gave birth to an infant and wrapped the child in a garbage bag (Google Maps).

Cops in Kentucky were startled to find a dead newborn wrapped in a plastic bag — and accused the infant”s mother of being behind the grim discovery.

The mother, Laken Snelling, a 21-year-old cheerleader at the University of Kentucky, is facing charges of abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing an infant’s birth. The Lexington Police Department responded to a call at approximately 10:30 a.m. Thursday regarding an unresponsive infant at a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue, which is near the campus.

They arrived at the home and pronounced the infant dead at the scene.

According to NBC affiliate WLEX, an arrest citation revealed that the infant was discovered wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag. After being advised of her Miranda rights, Snelling allegedly confessed to having given birth. She also purportedly confessed to hiding the birth by cleaning any evidence and disposing of all cleaning items, including the infant, who was wrapped in a towel, into a black trash bag. Authorities reportedly located the trash bag in a closet, according to the citation.

The coroner’s office will determine a cause and manner of death. Cops have not said whether the baby was alive at birth.

Snelling was arrested and taken to the Fayette County Jail. It appears she has since bonded out.

The University of Kentucky informed WLEX that Snelling had been part of the school’s competitive cheerleading team for the past three seasons and directed further inquiries to the Lexington police. Her profile is accessible on the team’s website, which lists her hometown as White Pine, Tennessee, approximately 185 miles from Lexington.