Hunter Fatally Shoots Woman He Mistook for a Deer, Delaware Police Say
Police said the hunter mistook the woman for a deer and fired from a ground blind, and the homicide unit is still investigating.
- On Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, 74-year-old Walter Moorhead fatally shot 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto in an open field near Ellendale, Delaware, after police say he mistook her for a deer.
- Firing from a camouflaged ground blind, Moorhead allegedly believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle while Soto walked through the field with a man and two children.
- Moorhead faces felony charges of manslaughter, possession of a firearm during a felony, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment; he posted a $43,000 cash bond and was released.
- Soto's family launched a GoFundMe campaign for funeral costs and transport to Guatemala, raising approximately $795 of a $6,500 goal to support her five children.
- The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit continues investigating the shooting, which recalls a similar Iowa incident about a year ago and underscores ongoing concerns about hunter target identification.
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Tragic Mistake: Maryland Hunter Arrested After Mother Of 5 Shot Dead In Delaware Field
A 74-year-old Maryland hunter faces criminal charges after fatally shooting a mother of five whom he allegedly mistook for a deer as she walked through an open Delaware field with her family, authorities said. Delaware State Police arrested Walter Moorhead on charges of manslaughter and other felonies following the shooting of 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel […] Tragic Mistake: Maryland Hunter Arrested After Mother Of 5 Shot Dead In Delaware Fie…
Maryland hunter charged after mistaking woman for deer, killing her
A 74-year-old Maryland man is facing manslaughter and related felony charges after Delaware State Police say he shot and killed a woman he mistook for a deer while hunting from a ground blind in a Sussex County field.
Hunter Fatally Shot Woman Walking With Children, Mistaking Her for Deer in Field: Police
A man is facing several charges in the death of a 39-year-old woman, who he fatally shot while mistaking her for a deer in a Delaware field, according to police. Walter Moorhead, of Salisbury, Maryland, was charged with manslaughter and other offenses after he took aim at the woman in Ellendale the evening of Friday, […]
A 74-year-old hunter from Maryland is accused of killing a 39-year-old woman after he opened fire, thinking he saw a deer. The victim was walking in a field with a man and two children at the time of the drama.
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