Madeline Daly chose to kill her own son rather than allow his father to gain custody.
The baby was named Basil and was barely 11 months old. A Wyoming judge had already ruled that the child was to live in Nebraska with his father, Jake Stoner, but Daly refused to comply with the order. In November 2025, she fled with the child, forcing Jake to report him missing.
The search ended weeks later at an RV near Silver City, New Mexico. While Grant County deputies surrounded the vehicle waiting for a search warrant, Daly made a lethal decision: she shot Basil in the face with a 9 mm firearm to prevent them from taking him away. The baby arrived at the hospital without signs of life.
Daly was detained at the scene without bail, and on August 24, 2026, she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. The prosecution confirmed the chilling motive: the woman preferred to end her son’s life rather than see him raised by his father.