Mother Gets Life After Custody Case Killing

A Wyoming mother who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her 11-month-old son has been sentenced to life in a New Mexico prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

Madeline Veronique Daly, 36, was sentenced Sept. 28 in Grant County. The case began during a custody dispute in Wyoming and ended after deputies found Daly and her son, Basil, at a rural New Mexico property in December 2025.

Custody Order Preceded the Flight to New Mexico

According to prosecutors and court reporting, Basil’s father had been granted emergency custody after a dispute over the child. Daly left Wyoming with the boy despite the order requiring that he be turned over to his father.

Authorities in Wyoming issued a warrant connected to the child’s disappearance. The search eventually led investigators to New Mexico, where a tip placed Daly at a property along Highway 15 in Grant County.

Deputies arrived on Dec. 23, 2025, and located Daly and the child inside a recreational vehicle. Officers surrounded the vehicle while they worked to obtain legal authority to enter.

Deputies Heard a Gunshot

Prosecutors said deputies heard a gunshot from inside the RV and moved in. They found the infant mortally wounded and took Daly into custody after a brief struggle.

First responders attempted to save the child, but he died. Daly was later charged with first-degree murder.

The case also left her facing a separate legal matter in Wyoming tied to taking the child in violation of the custody order.

Guilty Plea Removed the Need for a Trial

Daly pleaded guilty to first-degree murder on Aug. 24. As part of the plea, prosecutors dropped a separate intentional child-abuse charge, according to Court TV.

The guilty plea meant there would be no murder trial. At sentencing, the state asked the judge to impose the maximum punishment available under New Mexico law.

District Judge Tom Stewart sentenced Daly to life imprisonment. Under the sentence, she must serve at least 30 years before she can be considered for parole.

Judge Leaves Parole Decision for Later

Stewart had discretion to structure the sentence so that Daly would never be eligible for parole, but he declined to eliminate that possibility. He noted that Daly would be in her mid-60s before a parole board could even consider release.

A future parole hearing would not guarantee that Daly is released. It would only give the board authority to review her case after the minimum period has been served.

The child’s father submitted a statement for the sentencing hearing, and prosecutors described the case as deeply traumatic for the family and the first responders who entered the RV.

The sentencing closes the New Mexico murder prosecution without a trial, but it does not erase the chain of events that began with a custody order in another state. Daly left Wyoming with her infant son, authorities tracked them across state lines, and the dispute ultimately ended with the child’s death and a life sentence.

Wyoming Case Could Still Follow

New Mexico authorities have said Daly also remains subject to a kidnapping case in Wyoming connected to taking the child after the custody order. Any prosecution there would be separate from the first-degree murder conviction in New Mexico.

That means the Sept. 28 hearing may not be Daly’s final court proceeding. The New Mexico sentence establishes the punishment for the killing, while authorities in Wyoming retain responsibility for deciding how to handle the allegations tied to the child’s removal from that state.

Daly apologized during sentencing and described her actions as inexcusable, according to court reporting. The judge also reviewed a written statement from Basil’s father before imposing the sentence. Those statements did not change the mandatory nature of the murder punishment, but they formed part of the record as the court closed the New Mexico case.

References: Woman Who Killed Her Baby in New Mexico Sentenced to Prison | Madeline Daly sentenced on Capital Murder Charge | Mother engaged in bitter custody battle with baby’s father heading to prison after killing her 11-month-old son 2 days before Christmas

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