Executive Summary
- 11-month-old Basil Stoner was killed during a police standoff in New Mexico.
- Mother Madeline Daly has been charged with murder and pleaded not guilty.
- Daly fled Wyoming after a judge granted custody to the father.
- An Amber Alert was not issued due to a lack of evidence of imminent danger.
- The victim’s father is advocating for reforms to Amber Alert criteria.
An 11-month-old Wyoming boy was shot and killed in New Mexico on December 23 after his mother barricaded herself inside a recreational vehicle during a confrontation with law enforcement. Authorities confirmed that the child, Basil Stoner, was fatally wounded by his mother, Madeline Daly, who had fled Wyoming following a court order regarding the child’s custody.
According to law enforcement officials, Daly was the subject of a felony warrant and a statewide “be on the lookout” (BOLO) order at the time of the incident. The sequence of events began after a Washakie County judge granted immediate custody of the infant to his father, Jake Stoner, and ordered Daly to surrender the child. Investigators determined that Daly initially hid in Worland, Wyoming, before fleeing the state to evade the court order.
Despite concerns regarding Daly’s mental health history and her dual citizenship with France, authorities did not issue an Amber Alert during the search. Officials stated that the situation did not meet the strict criteria for an alert, as there was no confirmed evidence of imminent danger to the child at that time. Jake Stoner, who was traveling to New Mexico after police located Daly, was informed of his son’s death shortly after the standoff concluded.
Daly was arrested at the scene and remains in custody at the Grant Detention Center in Silver City, New Mexico. During a district court appearance earlier this week, she entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of killing her son. If convicted, she faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
Following the tragedy, Jake Stoner has publicly advocated for legislative reform regarding Wyoming’s Amber Alert standards. He argues that a more flexible system regarding familial abductions could have provided law enforcement with additional tools to locate the child sooner.
Procedural Review and Legal Context
This case underscores the complex legal and operational challenges involved in interstate custodial interference and the rigid thresholds required for activating emergency broadcast systems like the Amber Alert. As the judicial process commences in New Mexico, the proceedings will likely focus on the specific circumstances of the standoff and the defendant’s intent. Additionally, the call for legislative reform may trigger a review of risk assessment protocols in domestic abduction cases involving flight risks. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
