On September 18, 2026, Delaware State Police responded to an open field near South Old State Road, north of East Robbins Road, for a report of a woman who had been shot. When they arrived, troopers provided life-saving medical care to the woman, identified as Santos Maria Chilel Soto, 39, of Georgetown.
Chilel Soto was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. The preliminary investigation revealed that Chilel Soto was walking through the field with a man and two children when she was shot. Police located Walter Moorhead, 74, of Salisbury, Maryland, who was hunting deer from a ground blind. Moorhead told police he believed he saw a deer and fired.
Court documents reveal that Chilel Soto, her boyfriend and two children were walking through the field rather than walking on the road with no sidewalks, when Chilel Soto’s boyfriend heard what he described as an “explosion.” She fell to the ground and, when he rushed to see what had happened, discovered she was bleeding from her upper torso, unresponsive.
Chilel Soto’s boyfriend then stated that a gentleman approached them carrying a flashlight, telling them he was looking for a deer he just shot. Although police responded to the location around 7:40 PM, it is unclear exactly when the shooting occurred. Chilel Soto’s boyfriend stated he called 911 right away. Some reports claim the shooting occurred around 6:30 PM.
When police arrived, Moorhead told them he had been hunting from a ground blind with a rifle equipped with a scope. He fired at what he believed was a doe. When he walked toward where he thought he had shot the deer, he found an injured woman surrounded by a man and two children. He acknowledged to police that it was likely his shot that hit the woman.
Moorhead was taken into custody and taken to Troop 4 where he was charged with manslaughter recklessly causing the death of another person; possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony; and reckless endangering first degree. He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court and released after posting a $43,000 cash bond.
A DNREC spokesman confirmed that the property had an active crop damage permit on file. This allows firearms to be used for hunting outside standard firearm seasons in order for farmers to protect crops from damage caused when deer eat or lie on growing plants.
Farmers can lend their permits to other hunters who wish to hunt on the property and help the farmer control damage by deer. However, anyone permitted to hunt under the permit must be listed with DNREC. DNREC is currently confirming that Morehead was listed as a permitted hunter on the property.
In addition, the timing of the shooting is under investigation. Even with a crop damage permit, hunting is forbidden 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after sunset. The United States Naval Observatory reports that the sun set in the Ellendale area around 7:05 PM. If the shooting occurred after that, additional charges could be filed against Morehead.
Morehead, under the rules of crop damage protection, was also required to use specific ammunition while hunting. The police are also investigating whether the ammunition used met that criteria.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the victim’s family. Initially, the GoFundMe had a $15,000 goal, but that was raised to $35,000 when donations poured in. As of Wednesday, almost $30,000 had been raised.
Delaware State Police Homicide Unit continues to investigate this case. Detectives ask anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact Detective M. Csapo by calling 302-741-2729. Information may also be provided through private Facebook message or by contracting Delaware Crime Stoppers.
NOTE: Anyone charged in this report is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
