Mother Pleads Guilty to Killing 11-Month-Old Son Amid Custody Dispute

A Wyoming mother has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder after admitting to killing her 11-month-old son during a bitter custody dispute with the child’s father.

Madeline Veronique Daly, 36, entered the guilty plea in New Mexico on August 24, 2026, after prosecutors said she had taken her son, Basil Stoner, from Wyoming in violation of a court order granting emergency custody to his father.

Basil was fatally shot on December 23, 2025, inside an RV near Silver City, New Mexico. Authorities located Daly after a Wyoming kidnapping warrant was discovered during a background check connected to a job application. When deputies moved in, Daly reportedly ran toward the RV carrying Basil. While officers waited for a search warrant, they heard a gunshot and entered the vehicle, where they found the infant critically wounded.

According to court records cited in reports, Daly told investigators that she did not want Basil returned to his father and allegedly believed killing him would prevent the father from obtaining custody. Emergency medical personnel were unable to save the child.

Under the plea agreement, Daly faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. A child-abuse charge was dismissed as part of the agreement, and the judge is expected to impose the final sentence at a later hearing.

The case began with a custody dispute in Wyoming before escalating into a cross-state abduction and the death of an infant. Daly’s guilty plea resolves the criminal case without a trial, but the sentencing phase remains ahead.

Source: The Sun