Wyoming mom says it was ‘worth it’ to kidnap, shoot 11-month-old son in the face so dad can’t get custody

Madeline Veronique Daly, 36, shot 11-month-old Basil Stoner inside an RV in New Mexico in December 2025 as authorities closed in on her. She tried to turn the gun on herself afterwards but was subdued by law enforcement before she could do so, per the Cowboy State Daily. Daly pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“Even if the rest of life is worthless she would do it again just so to make sure that the (family) didn’t touch him,” Detective Lt. Jason Jordan wrote in a probable cause affidavit about Daly's statements to investigators.

Daly had taken the boy across state lines from Wyoming, defying a court order that gave emergency custody to the father, who said he hadn't seen his son since Sept. 28, 2025. Investigators located her at an RV park near Silver City on Dec. 23 after a background check for a job application flagged an outstanding warrant.

Police surrounded the RV and were waiting on a search warrant when they heard a gunshot. Rushing inside, they found Daly had shot Basil in the face with a 9mm handgun before attempting to shoot herself. One deputy reported that the boy had also been shot in the chest, but it is unclear how many times the boy was shot by Daly.

According to the arrest affidavit, Daly said she'd taken her son because "she was not going to allow her (then) 8-month-old baby go back and forth from Nebraska to Wyoming twice a month." After she was arrested, she claimed that she was keeping her son "safe" and that killing him was "worth it" if it meant the toddler would never see his father again.

“When asked what went through her mind when she saw law enforcement walking up, she replied, ‘Jake can’t get Basil,’” police wrote in a report on the incident. She also claimed, without evidence, that Basil "would have been in danger and molested" and that his father "never wanted anything to do with" him "financially, physically, emotionally ever."