Mother Pleads Guilty to First-Degree Murder in Death of 11-Month-Old Son After Custody Dispute

Basil Stoner was shot dead by his mother on Dec. 23, 2025.GoFundMe

A Wyoming woman has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her 11-month-old son, bringing a devastating custody case that crossed state lines to a major legal turning point.

Madeline Veronique Daly, 36, admitted responsibility for the December 23, 2025, death of Basil Stoner inside an RV near Silver City, New Mexico. Prosecutors said the case unfolded after Daly took Basil from Wyoming despite a court order granting the boy’s father emergency custody.

The circumstances surrounding Basil’s death became even more disturbing after investigators detailed what Daly allegedly told them following her arrest: she believed preventing the child’s father and paternal relatives from having access to him made what she had done “worth it.”

Custody order preceded disappearance

Madeline Daly pleaded guilty to first degree murder Wednesday.6th Judicial District Attorney/Facebook

The case began as a custody dispute involving Daly and Basil’s father, Jake Stoner.

According to reports citing court and law-enforcement records, an emergency custody order had been issued in favor of Stoner. Daly nevertheless left Wyoming with Basil and traveled to New Mexico, triggering a kidnapping warrant.

Stoner had last seen his son in Wyoming in September 2025. A fundraiser established on his behalf describes a prolonged effort to remain part of Basil’s life and says he had been waiting for news that his son had been located safely.

Authorities eventually received an unexpected lead hundreds of miles away.

Daly applied for a job in the Silver City area, and a background check reportedly revealed the outstanding Wyoming warrant. That information helped the Grant County Sheriff’s Office locate her on December 23.

Police surrounded the RV

Madeline Daly, Jake Stoner and Basil Emeric Daly. A mother shot her 11-month-old son in the face so the father could never have custody.Washakie County Sheriff’s Office

When officers approached, Daly ran into an RV, according to accounts of the investigation.

Law enforcement surrounded the vehicle while officers waited for authorization to enter. During the standoff, they heard a gunshot.

Officers rushed inside and found Basil critically wounded. The child died despite efforts to save him. Daly was taken into custody at the scene. Authorities said officers also prevented her from using the weapon against herself.

Investigators said the weapon was a 9mm handgun.

What Daly allegedly told detectives afterward provided a grim explanation for her actions.

According to the arrest affidavit, when investigators asked what she had been thinking as law enforcement approached, Daly responded: “Jake can’t get Basil.”

She also claimed she had been trying to keep Basil “safe” and made allegations that he would have been in danger if she surrendered him. Those allegations were described in reporting as unsubstantiated.

Father had been waiting to bring Basil home

For Stoner, the search had ended in the outcome he had feared most.

A fundraiser created after Basil’s death says Stoner had hoped to raise his son on his family’s Nebraska cattle ranch. After Basil’s body was returned to him, Stoner spoke publicly about remembering the first time he held his son and their final visit together in Wyoming.

“I hope that he knows how much I loved him and how badly I wanted to be his dad,” Stoner said in an interview earlier this year.

The fundraiser also says Stoner wants changes to Amber Alert requirements, believing a broader or faster alert system might help prevent another family from experiencing a similar tragedy.

Daly pleads guilty

Daly has now pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

Some early reports described her simply as having been “convicted,” but more detailed accounts indicate that the conviction resulted from her guilty plea rather than a jury verdict.

Under the reported plea agreement, Daly faces life imprisonment, with eligibility for parole after serving 30 years. A child-abuse charge was dismissed as part of the agreement, and sentencing will take place at a later hearing.

The plea closes one major stage of the criminal proceedings, but the consequences of the case continue for Basil’s family.

What began as a dispute over who would raise an infant ultimately became a multistate search and ended inside a rural New Mexico RV just two days before Christmas 2025. Basil was only 11 months old.