Mom allegedly kidnapped 10-month-old son, shot him in face after judge granted his father custody

GRANT COUNTY, N.M. (TCN) -- A woman who allegedly absconded with her 10-month-old son after his father was awarded custody and later shot the child has been charged with an open count of first-degree murder. 

On Dec. 23, 2025, Madeline Daly, 35, allegedly shot her baby son, Basil Daly, at a New Mexico RV park rather than cede custody to his father in compliance with a court order, Cowboy State Daily reports. On Nov. 19, the child’s father, Jake Stoner, reported him missing. Daly had taken the child after missing a court hearing, according to the outlet.

According to an arrest affidavit filed on Dec. 26 and obtained by the Silver City Daily Press, Daly had come to Grant County from Worland, Wyoming, seeking work from a former employer, but he did not have a job for her.

When she applied for a job near Silver City, New Mexico, the business owner ran a background check and discovered a kidnapping warrant from Wyoming for Daly’s arrest, so he tipped off authorities, the Silver City Daily Press reports. 

Daly was tracked to the RV park where she was staying. She allegedly ran into someone else’s RV with her son when she saw authorities arrive.

Authorities spoke with Daly by phone when she refused to come out of the RV, KOAT reports. Deputies and a SWAT team heard a gunshot and entered the RV. They allegedly found Daly holding a gun to her head and Basil Daly with a gunshot to his face. 

Authorities attempted lifesaving measures, including helicopter transport, but the child died before he could be brought to the hospital. 

Daly allegedly told officers she knew her son would be in danger and be molested if she stepped out of the RV with him, The Silver City Daily Press reports. She also allegedly admitted she always kept a handgun in her diaper bag and shot her son so his father’s family could not have access to him.

Daly was arrested on the kidnapping charge out of Wyoming in addition to an open count of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death. She was booked into New Mexico’s Grant County Detention Center, KOAT reports.

Stoner told Cowboy State Daily that he and Daly had fought over custody of Basil since he was born. After she missed a visitation court date on Oct. 21, 2025, Stoner was granted emergency temporary custody. He told the outlet the last time he saw Basil was Sept. 28, 2025.

Daly remains in custody in Grant County.

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