KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The case of a University of Kentucky cheerleader accused of concealing the birth of her newborn is renewing attention on Safe Haven Baby Boxes, a program that allows parents to safely and anonymously surrender newborns.

Police say 21-year-old Laken Snelling is charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. Investigators said they found the newborn wrapped in a towel inside a trash bag at a home in Lexington.

“This could have been avoided,” Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey said. “We could have saved the child’s life and we could have kept a mother out of prison for the rest of her life if she would have just utilized this law.”

Kelsey, who was herself abandoned as an infant, said this work is deeply personal.

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