If you’ve been on social media much (always a big mistake), you’re aware of the story of Laken Snelling, the 21-year-old member of the University of Kentucky’s stunt team, whose dead newborn infant was found in her dorm room closet last week.
The media has been filled with photos of Ms. Snelling, who is blonde and fit. There have also been photos of her boyfriend, a youth named Connor who does not appear to be overly bright. Some stories report that the current boyfriend is not the father of the deceased newborn. The plot thickens.
I have been avoiding making a post about this story, hoping that it would go away. And this story would have gone away—if it would even have been a story at all—had it taken place in the inner city, or in some poor white sector of Appalachia.
This would never have been a story at all had Laken Snelling been black, or unattractive, or poor. This is a national news story because Laken Snelling is—not to put too fine a point on it—a hot looking blonde college girl who was active on Instagram and TikTok. (Or at least she was all that. Ms. Snelling has a bloated and frumpy appearance in her arrest photos, no doubt due to her recent pregnancy and her ordeal.) Ms. Snelling was never a household name, never much known beyond her immediate circle of friends. But she was of a type.
We seem unable to resist the story of the attractive (usually white) girl whose life has intersected with criminal tragedy, whether she is the victim or the perpetrator. Consider the media’s long obsessions with murder victims Natalee Holloway and Gabby Petito. Or with the pretty murderer, Amanda Knox.
This may be schadenfreude. Most of us have, at one time or another, felt jealous of—or dismissed by—the hot girl who has it all going on. And if that is not the case, then why do we care more when the perpetrator/victim is young, pretty and vivacious? Either way, it says something about the superficial nature of our public sympathies. Why do we care less about people who are less photogenic and glamorous?
I’m not saying that I am above all this, mind you. I have been following the Laken Snelling story, even though I know that it is of far less long-term significance to my life than say…what is happening with tariffs or Sino-American relations.
Let’s be honest: this case affects no one but those who are directly involved, and their loved ones. All things being equal, the Laken Snelling story should be a footnote in the “crime beat” section of the Lexington, Kentucky newspapers.
I at least have the excuse that all of this is not far from home for me. I live four miles from the Ohio-Kentucky border (the Ohio River) and less than two hours of driving time from the University of Kentucky. But even I am paying more attention to this case than I really should.
-ET
BLOOD FLATS
Lee McCabe, a former US Marine, has recently returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom. Falsely accused of a double homicide, Lee fights to clear his name. He faces enemies on both sides of the law. A blazing tale of pursuit, filled with gunfights and car chases.