A Maryland hunter, Walter Moorhead, aged 74, has been charged with manslaughter and other offenses after allegedly mistaking a woman for a deer and fatally shooting her. This incident occurred while the woman walked through a Delaware field with her children, according to state police reports.
The tragic event happened in Ellendale, Delaware, where the victim, Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, was walking around 7:40 p.m. in an open field with a man and her two children. During this time, Moorhead was hunting deer from a ground blind, a temporary structure used by hunters to remain unseen by animals.
Delaware State Police stated that Moorhead fired his rifle, believing he saw a deer, which resulted in Soto being struck. First responders arrived to provide medical assistance at the scene. Despite their efforts, Soto was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Moorhead has been charged with multiple felonies, including manslaughter for recklessly causing another person’s death, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. He was released from custody after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
The situation is under ongoing investigation by local authorities.
Soto was a mother of five children and a cherished aunt. A GoFundMe page describes the profound sorrow her family is experiencing, alongside the financial strain of arranging her funeral and transportation of her body to Guatemala for burial. The fundraiser has accumulated approximately $12,000 by Monday evening.
The fundraiser aims to alleviate the financial responsibility of her funeral services, helping cover the needed arrangements during this difficult time.
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