Court records provide new details about the shooting as relatives question how the accused hunter was released on bond.
ELLENDALE, DE — The family of a 39-year-old Delaware woman is seeking answers after authorities said a hunter fatally shot her while she was walking through an open field with a man and two children, allegedly mistaking her for a deer.
Delaware State Police identified the woman as Santos Maria Chilel Soto of Georgetown. Police arrested Walter Moorhead, 74, of Salisbury, Maryland, after the Sept. 18 shooting and charged him with manslaughter, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and three counts of first-degree reckless endangering. Moorhead was released after posting a $43,000 cash bond. Newly reported court records have provided additional details about what investigators say happened before and after the shot was fired.
Troopers were called at about 7:40 p.m. to an open field near South Old State Road, north of East Robbins Road in Ellendale. Police said Chilel Soto was walking through the field with a man and two children while Moorhead was hunting deer from a ground blind. Investigators said Moorhead believed he saw a deer and fired his rifle, striking Chilel Soto. Troopers provided emergency medical care before she was taken to a hospital, where she died.
A probable-cause affidavit obtained by local news outlets said Chilel Soto was walking with her boyfriend and two children, ages 7 and 10. The boyfriend told investigators the group was close together when he heard what sounded like an explosion and saw Chilel Soto collapse. He then called 911 and tried to help her while emergency crews were on the way.
According to the affidavit, Moorhead told investigators he had been hunting from a ground blind with a scoped rifle. He said he believed he was looking at a doe before firing. Investigators said Moorhead later approached the area with a flashlight and found Chilel Soto with the other members of the group. Police recovered a rifle equipped with a scope from the ground blind.
Chilel Soto’s relatives have questioned the circumstances of the shooting and Moorhead’s release on bond. Her daughter, Sharon López, told CoastTV that she saw Moorhead near the scene after the shooting and said, “it doesn’t seem right how he already got out.” López said her mother was her best friend and that Chilel Soto left behind five children.
Family members said the group had been walking in the field to stay away from traffic along the roadway. Chilel Soto’s boyfriend, Minibaldo Velásquez, described her as hardworking, charismatic and committed to helping other people. “She was a special woman,” he said. The family said Chilel Soto was originally from Guatemala.
A fundraiser established for the family says money will help cover funeral expenses and efforts to return Chilel Soto’s body to Guatemala for burial. A Georgetown church that knew Chilel Soto has also mourned her death and expressed support for her relatives and loved ones.
Moorhead is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 25 in Sussex County Court of Common Pleas, according to local reporting citing court records. Delaware State Police said its Homicide Unit continues to investigate the shooting. The charges are allegations, and Moorhead is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Author note: Last updated September 22, 2026.