Madeline Veronique Daly, 36, from New Mexico, has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder after shooting dead her 11-month-old son, Basil, telling police the killing was "worth it" to stop his father gaining custody. Daly had lost custody in November 2025 when a Wyoming court granted the boy's father emergency custody, prompting her to kidnap the infant and flee, triggering a cross-state manhunt before she was traced to New Mexico and killed him as officers closed in.

According to her affidavit, Daly shot Basil once in the face inside an RV in a trailer park near Silver City after realising deputies had located her, then attempted to shoot herself before being restrained. She told investigators she would "do it again" to keep the boy from his father's family, whom she accused of posing a danger to him, and admitted she knew taking Basil had been unlawful but believed she was protecting him. She now faces a life sentence and awaits formal sentencing.