The custody battle over 11-month-old Basil Stoner began in Wyoming as a fight over where the infant would live and who would have custody. It ended months later inside an RV in rural New Mexico, where Madeline Veronique Daly fatally shot her own son as deputies closed in.

Daly, 36, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on August 24, 2026, in New Mexico’s Sixth Judicial District Court in Silver City. The plea brings the scheduled murder trial to an end, but it does not yet bring a final sentence. Prosecutors say Daly could face life in prison, while a separate Wyoming kidnapping case could potentially follow.

More Custody Disputes Turned Deadly: Basil’s case is not the only recent tragedy where a family conflict ended in violence. For more, read our story on “Is He Really Dead?”: a family dinner that ended in tragedy as an Albuquerque man faces a murder charge.

How the Wyoming Custody Dispute Led to Basil Stoner’s Death in New Mexico

Basil Emeric Stoner was born on January 8, 2025, in Worland, Wyoming. His father, Jake Stoner, had reportedly been proud to finally have the son he had wanted, and Basil’s obituary later remembered him as a happy and alert child who seemed to notice everything around him.

He loved being outdoors, enjoyed watching animals and particularly liked blueberries. Those ordinary childhood details stand in painful contrast to the events that would unfold less than a year after his birth.

The dispute between Stoner and Daly intensified during the months after Basil was born. According to accounts from Stoner’s attorney and contemporaneous Wyoming reporting, Stoner sought greater involvement in his son’s life. The custody dispute eventually resulted in a court order granting him emergency custody after Daly failed to appear at a custody hearing.

The legal conflict then crossed state lines.

On November 19, 2025, Stoner reported Basil missing after Daly left Wyoming with the child. A felony kidnapping warrant was eventually issued for Daly. Authorities did not issue a nationwide Amber Alert because, according to reports at the time, they did not have information establishing that Basil was in immediate danger. A law-enforcement lookout notice was nevertheless issued.

Stoner later argued that the circumstances demonstrated shortcomings in the criteria used to issue Amber Alerts when custody disputes are involved.

Daly had taken Basil to New Mexico, turning what had begun as a custody battle into an interstate missing-child investigation.

More Interstate Investigations: Basil’s disappearance across state lines mirrors other cases where jurisdiction complicated the search for answers. For more, read our story on Zymire Hughes, the Chucky-masked man arrested in Las Vegas after allegedly terrorizing Philadelphia residents.

The Job Application That Helped Police Find Madeline Daly

Daly eventually settled in the Silver City area of southwestern New Mexico. She was reportedly living in a rented bunkhouse while attempting to remain out of sight.

Authorities eventually received information connected to a job application, which led investigators to discover the outstanding Wyoming kidnapping warrant. A local law-enforcement contact was alerted and began watching for Daly’s return.

Then, on December 23, 2025, a deputy encountered Daly and Basil at the Three Questions Café in Mimbres.

The deputy did not initially know that Daly was wanted in connection with the Wyoming case. According to the probable-cause affidavit, however, the deputy noticed that “she was a bit evasive as she sat down with her son to have breakfast that morning.”

That same day, authorities moved to take Basil into protective custody.

What happened next would turn the missing-child case into a homicide investigation.

Deputies Surrounded the RV Before the Fatal Shooting

Grant County Sheriff’s deputies went to a rural property along Highway 15 after receiving information that Daly had been located there.

Authorities found Daly and Basil and attempted to take the infant into custody. Instead, Daly moved toward a motorized RV with Basil and remained inside.

Deputies surrounded the RV while they worked to obtain a search warrant, according to the District Attorney’s Office and the probable-cause affidavit.

Then came a gunshot from inside the vehicle.

Officers rushed into the RV and found Basil suffering from a gunshot wound. The Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Daly had fatally shot her son with a 9mm handgun.

Deputies took Daly into custody following a brief struggle and immediately attempted to save the infant. Basil was rushed toward an awaiting ambulance, but he died from his injuries on December 23, 2025.

The original probable-cause affidavit contained references to a gunshot wound to Basil’s chest as well as a fatal gunshot wound to his face. Local reporting noted that the affidavit did not publicly establish how many times the child had been shot.

The response involved Grant County Sheriff’s deputies and New Mexico State Police crime-scene investigators, with assistance from the Hurley Police Department, Forest Service law-enforcement officers, Native Air, emergency medical services, the FBI and investigators from the Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

More Cold Trails Reopened: An unexpected paper trail cracking a case is a common thread across investigations. For more, read our story on DNA finally revealing the identity of a WWII veteran who vanished in 1965, though his Oregon murder mystery remains unsolved.

What Madeline Daly Allegedly Told Investigators After Basil Was Killed

The most disturbing details emerged after Daly’s arrest.

According to the probable-cause affidavit reported by Cowboy State Daily, Daly told investigators that she had been trying to keep Basil “safe.” She acknowledged that she knew she was breaking the law but said she believed her actions were justified.

Daly reportedly objected to the prospect of Basil traveling between Nebraska and Wyoming twice each month.

According to the affidavit, she said:

“she was not going to allow her (then) 8-month-old baby go back and forth from Nebraska to Wyoming twice a month.”

Daly also made allegations about Basil’s father. She reportedly told investigators that Basil “would have been in danger and molested if she would have stepped out of that trailer” and claimed that his father “never wanted anything to do with Basil, financially, physically, emotionally ever.”

Those allegations have not been established as facts in the available court and law-enforcement reporting.

What is established is that the custody proceedings had resulted in a court order granting Stoner emergency custody before Daly left Wyoming.

According to the affidavit, Daly believed preventing Stoner and his relatives from obtaining custody or contact with Basil justified what she had done.

The affidavit states:

“Even if the rest of life is worthless, she would do it again just to make sure that the (family) didn’t touch him.”

Daly reportedly told investigators that she had attempted to kill herself after shooting Basil but was unable to do so before deputies intervened.

The affidavit quoted her as saying:

“wasn’t fast enough killing herself after is all she can say about that.”

She also reportedly indicated that when she realized law enforcement was closing in, she thought:

“Jake can’t get Basil.”

According to the reported account, Daly believed killing Basil would ensure that his father and paternal relatives could never obtain custody or contact with him.

More Standoffs and Emergency Response: Basil’s case is one of several recent standoffs that ended before authorities could safely intervene. For more, read our story on the Aarau rave shooting that left a 22-year-old woman dead and a 43-year-old Swiss man arrested.

Madeline Daly’s Guilty Plea Cancels the 2027 Murder Trial

Daly initially faced first-degree murder and child-abuse charges in New Mexico. Her case had been scheduled to go to trial on January 11, 2027.

That trial will no longer happen.

On August 24, 2026, Daly entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder in the Sixth Judicial District Court in Silver City. Presiding Judge Tom F. Stewart accepted the plea agreement after it was presented by prosecutors, with Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Vega representing the state.

As part of the agreement, the child-abuse charge was dropped.

The first-degree murder conviction remains the basis for the punishment Daly faces.

The Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Daly faces a life sentence in the New Mexico Department of Corrections, described as the maximum penalty for first-degree murder under the circumstances of the case.

However, Judge Stewart did not impose the sentence during the August 24 hearing. Instead, he ordered a separate sentencing hearing because he wanted additional time to review the case.

Under New Mexico law, a person sentenced to life imprisonment generally becomes eligible for a parole hearing after serving 30 years. That does not mean Daly has already been sentenced to 30 years, and it does not guarantee that she would be released after that period.

Her formal sentence remains pending.

Official detail	Information
Defendant	Madeline Veronique Daly, 36
Victim	Basil Emeric Stoner
Victim’s age	11 months
Birth date	January 8, 2025
Birthplace	Worland, Wyoming
Date of death	December 23, 2025
Location of shooting	Rural New Mexico RV
Weapon identified	9mm handgun
Plea	Guilty to first-degree murder
Plea date	August 24, 2026
Court	Sixth Judicial District Court, Silver City, New Mexico
Presiding judge	Tom F. Stewart
Prosecutor	Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Vega
Child-abuse charge	Dropped under plea agreement
Sentencing	Pending
Scheduled murder trial	January 11, 2027 — no longer proceeding

More Disturbing Confessions: Statements made to investigators after an arrest often become central to how a case unfolds in court. For more, read our story on the North Carolina doctor accused of shooting two sisters, including a 12-year-old, in an I-77 road-rage attack.

Wyoming Kidnapping Case Could Still Follow

The New Mexico guilty plea does not necessarily end Daly’s legal exposure.

Cowboy State Daily reported that after the New Mexico proceedings are completed, Daly could also face the outstanding Wyoming kidnapping case.

A spokesperson for the Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Daly could potentially spend the rest of her life in prison if she is subsequently convicted in Wyoming.

That means the August 24 guilty plea closes one major chapter, but potentially not the entire legal story surrounding Basil’s disappearance from Wyoming.

More Interstate Investigations: Basil’s disappearance across state lines mirrors other cases where jurisdiction complicated the search for answers. For more, read our story on Zymire Hughes, the Chucky-masked man arrested in Las Vegas after allegedly terrorizing Philadelphia residents.

Prosecutors Say the Case Has Been Especially Difficult for Responding Officers

Roxanne Garcia-McElmell, a spokesperson for the Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, described the case as “horrific” in comments reported by Cowboy State Daily.

She also said the deputies and officers who responded to the RV were still struggling with what they witnessed.

“are still having trouble dealing with it,” Garcia-McElmell said, referring to the officers and deputies involved in the response.

The case has consequently involved several overlapping issues: a bitter custody dispute, an interstate missing-child investigation, allegations surrounding a parent taking a child in violation of a custody order, and a fatal confrontation during an attempted protective-custody operation.

More Cold Trails Reopened: An unexpected paper trail cracking a case is a common thread across investigations. For more, read our story on DNA finally revealing the identity of a WWII veteran who vanished in 1965, though his Oregon murder mystery remains unsolved.

Basil’s Father Had Hoped His Son Would Grow Up on the Family Ranch

For Jake Stoner, the custody dispute had been about bringing his son home and building a life with him.

A fundraiser established on Stoner’s behalf after Basil’s death said he had hoped his son would eventually join him and his family on their cattle ranch. The account described the devastation that followed when he learned that the child he had hoped to bring home had instead been killed during the law-enforcement operation in New Mexico.

Basil’s obituary remembers a very different story from the disturbing circumstances surrounding his final day.

It described him as “a happy and alert child. Never missing a thing,” and said he was happiest outdoors, loved watching animals and particularly liked blueberries.

The obituary also stated:

“His father Jake was as proud as can be to finally have the son he always wanted. He was a happy and alert child. Never missing a thing. Basil was happiest outdoors and loved watching animals and he really liked blueberries.”

Basil was buried following a February 7, 2026, funeral service at Valentine Methodist Church in Nebraska. His burial took place at the Stoner Ranch Cemetery.

The guilty plea means there will be no trial on the first-degree murder charge. The next major step in the New Mexico case is Daly’s sentencing, where the court will determine the punishment following her conviction.

After that, the outstanding Wyoming kidnapping allegation could become the next legal chapter.

For now, the central facts remain stark: an infant caught in a custody dispute was taken across state lines, authorities eventually located his mother and son in New Mexico, deputies attempted to take Basil into protective custody, and the child was fatally shot inside an RV before officers could remove him.

Daly has now admitted guilt to first-degree murder. Her final sentence, however, has not yet been imposed.

More Standoffs and Emergency Response: Basil’s case is one of several recent standoffs that ended before authorities could safely intervene. For more, read our story on the Aarau rave shooting that left a 22-year-old woman dead and a 43-year-old Swiss man arrested.

Disclaimer and Sources

This article is based on thorough research of publicly available court records, prosecutorial statements, law-enforcement information, contemporaneous reporting and Basil Emeric Stoner’s published obituary. Allegations attributed to Madeline Daly concerning Basil’s father have not been presented as established facts and are identified as allegations. Daly has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, but her final sentence has not yet been imposed.

Sources

• Sixth Judicial District Attorney’s Office — Madeline Daly case release
• Grant County Beat — Madeline Daly Pleads Guilty on Capital Murder Charge
• Cowboy State Daily — Wyoming Woman Pleads Guilty To Killing Infant Son In New Mexico
• Cowboy State Daily — Probable-cause affidavit and investigators’ account
• Sandoz’ Chapel of the Pines — Basil Emeric Stoner obituary
• New Mexico Legislature — statute concerning parole eligibility after life imprisonment

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