A mother from Wyoming, accused of murdering her 11-month-old son during a bitter custody dispute, is now fighting to be released from jail before her trial.
A Custody Battle Ends in Tragedy
Madeline Daly, aged 35, is charged with first-degree murder following the death of her son, Basil Stoner, just two days before Christmas. The incident culminated a month-long legal fight over the child's custody.
Court records show Daly had allegedly defied a judicial order granting primary custody to the boy's biological father, Jake Stoner. In November, she is accused of kidnapping Basil and fleeing with him from Wyoming to New Mexico.
Confrontation with Law Enforcement
Police located Daly and attempted to serve her with a felony kidnapping warrant. According to official reports, she retreated into an RV with the infant. After she refused to leave the vehicle, authorities made contact by phone.
When information suggested Daly might be armed, a SWAT team was dispatched to the scene. Shots were fired before officers could intervene. Upon entering the RV, they discovered a harrowing scene: Daly was inside with a gun pointed at her own head, and her son, Basil, lay on the floor with a fatal gunshot wound.
Emergency responders performed life-saving measures, but the 11-month-old baby died before he could be transported to a hospital by air ambulance.
Prosecutors Deny Release Request
Daly was immediately arrested and remains held without bail at the Grant County Detention Center. Her attorney recently made an application for her pre-trial release, a move fiercely opposed by the prosecution.
Grant County District Attorney Mark Abramson vehemently argued against her release, describing the "outrageous circumstances" of the case. He stated to Cowboy State Daily that Daly "chose to murder her child, her own child, with a nine millimetre gun to the face."
Abramson emphasised the strength of the case and an extreme flight risk, noting Daly had already absconded with the child once. "The likelihood that this defendant would abscond again... is just too great," he said, adding the crime was "as personal as you can get."
The judge rejected the release request, citing significant safety concerns for Daly herself, the community, and specifically the Stoner family. The court pointed to an alleged chilling statement made by Daly—"Jake can’t get Basil"—as evidence of her intent to harm her son and defy the court's custody ruling, warning the family could be in danger if she were freed.
