Fayette County Detention Center

A competitive cheerleader at the University of Kentucky is facing criminal charges after cops say they found a dead infant wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag in a closet ... and police say she's the child's mother.

The Lexington Police Department says 21-year-old Laken Snelling was arrested Sunday and charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. Facebook/Jefferson County Fairest of the Fair

Police say they were dispatched last Wednesday morning to a residence near the UK campus when a call came in for a "deceased infant located inside of a closet."

Cops say when they arrived, they found the child and pronounced the infant dead at the scene.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Snellin

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