SILVER CITY, NM – The frantic search for an 11-month-old boy ended in tragedy last month when authorities say his mother, attempting to evade custody proceedings, fatally shot him during a tense standoff with law enforcement.
Madaline Daly, 35, faces charges including first-degree murder and child abandonment following her arrest in Grant County, according to jail records. The incident marked a devastating conclusion to a lengthy and contentious custody dispute that crossed state lines and drew in multiple agencies.
Over the past year, Daly and her ex-partner, Jake Stoner, had been locked in a battle over the future of their infant son, Basil. After their relationship dissolved in mid-2024, Daly allegedly disappeared from Wyoming, refusing to disclose her whereabouts or allow any contact between father and son. She eventually settled in Ten Sleep, a small Wyoming town, to carry her pregnancy to term.
Stoner was able to locate Daly shortly before Basil’s birth in January, managing to attend the delivery. However, efforts at co-parenting quickly unraveled. Daly is accused of barring Stoner from participating in naming the child and denied him a place on the birth certificate, effectively keeping him at arm’s length from their son.
Tensions escalated and ultimately landed in a Wyoming courtroom. There, a judge awarded Stoner shared custody following a trial last fall. Their initial attempts at a new arrangement seemed promising, with Stoner enjoying successful early visits with his son. But these meetings proved short-lived.
As the parents’ standoff continued, Daly reportedly cut off contact again and began moving across states. In October, she failed to appear for a critical court hearing regarding visitation, prompting the court to grant Stoner emergency temporary custody. From that point on, he would not see his son alive.
Daly appears to have traveled west to Worland, Wyoming, before heading south through Colorado and ultimately reaching New Mexico. Stoner, growing increasingly desperate, enlisted the help of a private investigator as authorities issued a warrant for Daly’s arrest. Despite the warrant, officials did not issue an Amber Alert, citing a lack of evidence that Basil faced immediate danger.
The chase ended at an RV park outside Silver City, New Mexico, where law enforcement tracked Daly to a trailer. As deputies attempted to negotiate with her, Daly allegedly retreated with Basil to an RV, where officers say she used a 9 mm handgun to shoot the child. She was taken into custody soon after.
According to details from court documents, Daly maintained that she fled out of fear for her son’s safety, as he was to be placed with his father. She claimed that Stoner had shown no interest in Basil’s life, support, or well-being. When confronted by deputies, Daly reportedly confessed that the end was inevitable once law enforcement caught up with her.
Daly remains jailed without bond while prosecutors argue that she poses a substantial flight risk, noting her prior efforts to elude authorities.
In the wake of his son’s death, Stoner has urged changes to the standards governing Amber Alerts. He contends that had authorities issued one earlier, Basil might still be alive. As the legal process continues, the case has sparked renewed debate about how missing child protocols are enforced and the tragic consequences that can occur when custody battles spiral out of control.