Report on Infant Death in Lexington, Kentucky, and its Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

Incident Summary

• On August 27, law enforcement officers from the Lexington Police Department were dispatched to a residence in the 400 block of Park Avenue.
• Upon arrival, an infant was discovered unresponsive inside a closet.
• The infant’s body was reportedly wrapped in a towel and concealed within a black trash bag.
• The official cause of death has not yet been determined and is pending an investigation by the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.

Legal Proceedings and Charges

• Laken Snelling, a 21-year-old senior at the University of Kentucky, was identified as the infant’s mother and arrested in connection with the death.
• Ms. Snelling is currently being held at the Fayette County Detention Center.
• The following charges have been filed:
  • Abuse of a corpse
  • Tampering with physical evidence
  • Concealing the birth of an infant
• An arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2.

Analysis through the Lens of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This local incident underscores critical challenges related to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the need for robust social and institutional support systems.

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • The death of the infant is in direct opposition to SDG Target 3.2, which aims to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.
   • The circumstances surrounding the case point to potential deficiencies in accessible maternal healthcare, mental health support, and reproductive health services, which are fundamental to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • This event brings attention to the vulnerabilities faced by young women and the importance of SDG Target 5.6: ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
   • A lack of comprehensive education, social support networks, and accessible family planning resources can contribute to crises such as concealed pregnancies, which disproportionately affect women and their well-being.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • The case represents a fundamental failure to protect the most vulnerable, directly conflicting with SDG Target 16.2, which calls for an end to abuse, exploitation, and all forms of violence against children.
   • The response by law enforcement and the judicial system, through investigation and the filing of charges, exemplifies the role of strong institutions in providing access to justice and ensuring accountability, which are core tenets of this goal.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights issues that are directly connected to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This goal aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The death of an infant, as reported in the article (“arrested in her infant’s death,” “baby was found unresponsive”), is a direct failure to protect the health and life of a newborn, which is a core component of this SDG.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: This goal is focused on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions. The article touches upon this goal in two ways:
  • The circumstances of the infant’s death (“discovered infant’s body wrapped in a towel inside a black trash bag”) and the charges (“abuse of a corpse”) point to extreme violence against a child.
  • The response by law enforcement (“The Lexington Police Department arrested 21-year-old Laken Snelling”) and the judicial process (“Her arraignment is set for Tuesday, Sept. 2”) represent the function of justice institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.
   • Explanation: The article’s central theme is the death of an infant. This event represents a failure to meet this target, which aims to eliminate all such preventable deaths. The report of an infant being “found unresponsive” directly relates to this target concerning neonatal and child mortality.
2. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
   • Explanation: The infant’s death, pending the coroner’s report, is a “related death” that falls under the scope of this target. The nature of the discovery suggests a violent end, directly addressing the goal of reducing violence.
3. Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.
   • Explanation: The death of a child under suspicious circumstances and the specific charge of “abuse of a corpse” are clear instances of violence and abuse against a child. The article describes a scenario that this target explicitly seeks to eliminate.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not explicitly mention any SDG indicators, but the information provided implies data points that would be used to measure them:

• Indicator 3.2.2 (Neonatal mortality rate): The death of the infant is a single data point that contributes to the statistics for this indicator, which measures the number of deaths during the first 28 completed days of life per 1,000 live births. The article’s focus on an “infant’s death” directly implies the relevance of this measurement.
• Indicator 16.1.1 (Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age): While the cause of death has not been released, the circumstances and charges (tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse) suggest that the death may be investigated as a homicide. If so, this case would become a statistic for this indicator, specifically for the youngest age group.
• Indicator 16.2.1 (Proportion of children aged 1-17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month): The outcome described in the article—the death and abuse of an infant’s corpse—represents the most extreme form of violence by a caregiver. This event is a stark example of what this indicator aims to track, even though the article doesn’t provide details on prior abuse.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: whas11.com