Madeline Veronique Daly faces a life sentence after admitting she killed her 11-month-old son during a custody dispute that crossed state lines.
SILVER CITY, N.M. — A Wyoming woman pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the December 2025 killing of her 11-month-old son, ending the trial phase of a case that began with a custody dispute and a search that led authorities to rural Grant County, New Mexico prosecutors said.
Madeline Veronique Daly, 36, entered the guilty plea Aug. 24 as part of an agreement accepted by District Judge Tom F. Stewart, according to the Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Norman R. Wheeler said Daly faces a life sentence in the New Mexico Department of Corrections, which his office described as the maximum penalty for first-degree murder in the state. Stewart did not immediately impose the sentence, saying he wanted additional time to review the case. A separate sentencing hearing will be scheduled.
The case centered on Daly’s son, Basil, and a custody dispute involving the child’s father, Jake Stoner. Reporting based on Wyoming court proceedings and family records showed that Stoner had sought greater access to his son after disagreements over visitation. A court eventually granted the parents shared custody, and Stoner began visiting Basil in Wyoming. After further disputes, Daly missed a court hearing in fall 2025 and Stoner was granted temporary emergency custody. Daly then left the area with the child, according to authorities and court-related reporting.
Wyoming authorities issued a warrant as officials tried to locate Daly and Basil. Family representatives said an Amber Alert was not issued because authorities did not believe the circumstances met the required threshold showing the child faced an immediate danger of serious injury or death. A broader law enforcement search continued for several weeks. Investigators eventually received information that Daly was staying in New Mexico, leading Grant County sheriff’s deputies to a rural property along New Mexico Highway 15 on Dec. 23, 2025.
Prosecutors said deputies located Daly and Basil in a motorized recreational vehicle on the property. Officers surrounded the RV and were working to obtain a search warrant when they heard a gunshot, according to the district attorney’s account. Deputies entered and found Basil had been critically wounded by gunfire. Daly was taken into custody after a brief struggle. Emergency crews attempted lifesaving measures and moved the child toward a waiting ambulance, but he died before he could be transported for further treatment.
The response involved the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police, the Hurley Police Department, federal officers, emergency medical personnel and investigators from the district attorney’s office. Earlier reports said officers knew Daly might have a handgun and had attempted to communicate with her before entering the RV. The district attorney later said the weapon used to kill the child was a 9 mm handgun. Further graphic details are not necessary to explain the criminal case or Daly’s guilty plea.
Daly was initially charged with first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. She pleaded not guilty at a January arraignment and was ordered to remain jailed while the case proceeded. Court filings reviewed by the Silver City Daily Press said Daly made statements to investigators after her arrest about the custody dispute and about preventing Stoner’s family from having access to Basil. She also made allegations that the child would have been unsafe with his father. Those claims about the father were not established as fact in the reports reviewed for this story.
Other records and family accounts described a long conflict over Stoner’s efforts to see his son. A fundraiser organized on Stoner’s behalf by attorney Christopher King said Daly had previously sent messages telling Stoner that he would not be part of the child’s life. After a Wyoming judge granted emergency custody to Stoner, Daly left with Basil rather than surrendering the child, according to authorities. The arrest affidavit later described statements from Daly indicating that keeping the child away from Stoner and his relatives was a central concern for her. Prosecutors have not publicly identified a separate motive beyond the custody conflict in announcing the plea.
After Basil’s death, Stoner and his supporters also began seeking changes to Amber Alert standards. Cowboy State Daily reported that Stoner argued a broader alert might have drawn more attention to the search while Daly and the child were missing. Wyoming officials had previously said the case did not meet the existing criteria because investigators lacked evidence at the time showing Basil was in immediate danger. The family’s proposal became part of a wider discussion in Wyoming about how authorities handle children taken during parental custody disputes.
Daly’s plea represents a major change from her January not-guilty plea and removes the need for a murder trial. Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Vega represented the state at the plea hearing. The district attorney’s public announcement did not explain how the agreement affects the separate child abuse count that appeared in earlier court filings, and no sentencing date was announced. Daly is expected to return to court for sentencing after Stewart completes his review of the case and plea agreement.
Author note: Last updated August 27, 2026.