Funeral planned for baby in Valentine as mother faces murder charge in New Mexico
Funeral services are planned in Valentine this weekend for an 11-month-old boy who was killed late last year, as his family mourns and his mother faces criminal charges.
By News Channel Nebraska
VALENTINE, Neb. - Funeral services are planned in Valentine this weekend for an 11-month-old boy who was killed late last year, as his family mourns and his mother faces criminal charges.
Services for Basil Stoner will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1:30 p.m. at the Valentine Methodist Church. Basil’s father, Jake Stoner of Kilgore, is preparing to lay his son to rest.
Basil died Dec. 23, 2025, in Silver City, New Mexico.
“Basil was happiest outdoors and loved watching animals, and he really liked blueberries,” his obituary states. “His father Jake was as proud as can be to finally have the son he always wanted. He was a happy and alert child. Never missing a thing.”
Basil’s mother, 35-year-old Madeline Daly, is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse in connection with his death.
According to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Daly brought Basil into New Mexico from Wyoming in violation of a court order that had granted emergency custody to his father. Deputies were alerted that Daly was wanted on kidnapping charges and responded to a rural property along Highway 15.
Authorities say Daly was located at a rented bunkhouse and later attempted to flee toward a motorized RV with the child. Court documents state deputies surrounded the RV while waiting for a search warrant when they heard a gunshot. Deputies say they entered the vehicle and found Basil had been shot with a 9mm handgun.
Court paperwork states that after a brief struggle, Daly was taken into custody, and deputies attempted to save the child by rushing him to an awaiting ambulance. KRQE reports that court documents say Daly told investigators she knew “her time was up” when she saw deputies and admitted to shooting her son and not being fast enough to kill herself.
Daly is scheduled to return to court March 9 for a pretrial conference or possible plea hearing. She is being held without bond.
“I’m concerned about your own personal safety, as well as the safety of others. It also concerns the court that given the gravity of what’s happened, there seems to be a considerable amount of animosity,” said Judge Tom Stewart.
A GoFundMe page has been created in Basil’s memory to help support his father’s efforts to change Amber Alert laws. The page states that while law enforcement issued a “be on the lookout,” an Amber Alert was not issued because authorities did not believe there was an immediate, present danger to the child.
“Jake believes that if the laws are changed to allow for an Amber Alert to be issued with less stringent standards, his son would be alive and safe,” the page reads.