Woman walking through Delaware field is fatally shot by hunter who allegedly mistook her for a deer
Police say the 74-year-old hunter believed he saw a deer before firing his rifle.
A Delaware woman was walking through a field with a man and two children when a hunter allegedly mistook her for a deer and fired the shot that killed her.
Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, of Georgetown, was shot in an open field in Ellendale on September 18. Troopers responding to a report of a shooting at around 7:40 p.m. provided medical care before Soto was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
As reported by NBC News, Delaware State Police arrested 74-year-old Walter Moorhead of Salisbury, Maryland, after identifying him as the hunter who fired the shot. Police said Moorhead was hunting from a camouflaged ground blind when he believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle, striking Soto.
She was walking through the field with two children
Soto had been walking through the field with an adult man and two children when she was shot, according to police. Authorities have not identified the people accompanying her or indicated whether the children were hers.
A ground blind is a shelter positioned at ground level that allows hunters to remain concealed while watching for animals. Police said Moorhead was hunting from one when he allegedly mistook Soto for a deer. Moorhead was taken into custody and charged with manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was later released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit continues to investigate Soto’s death. Authorities have asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact investigators.
Other fatal accidents have similarly resulted in manslaughter charges following an investigation, including the recent case of a Georgia grandmother charged after her 2-year-old grandson drowned in a pool. Another one that leaned in a more legally complicated direction entailed the involuntary manslaughter case involving Alec Baldwin in 2023.
Her family is trying to bring her home to Guatemala
Aside from the criminal investigation, Soto’s family is now facing the cost of laying her to rest. A GoFundMe created following her death describes Soto as a beloved aunt and says her relatives hope to return her body to Guatemala.
The fundraiser estimates that funeral and transportation expenses will exceed $15,000. Any money raised beyond those costs is expected to help the five children Soto left behind. Her family said the unexpected loss has left them grieving while simultaneously trying to navigate the financial burden of bringing her home. The fundraiser asks supporters to help them give Soto a dignified burial and provide some relief for her children.
So far, the GoFundMe page has garnered over $8,000. The fundraiser concludes by asking people to help the family “honor Maria’s memory, lay her to rest, and provide some relief to the children she loved so much.” Beyond the headlines and court proceedings, her family’s fundraiser remembers her simply as their beloved Maria, as numerous people offer donations, prayers, and words of comfort.
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