A 17-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder Friday in the death of a 76-year-old Elkhart woman. The woman was found dead in her home by her niece the morning of December 21.

Police arrested 17-year-old Luis Alejandro Bailey two days later.

The Elkhart County Prosecutor says Bailey was in a relationship with someone who lived close to the victim, and that Norma Hopper had been at that person's home earlier that morning.

Hopper had called police around 3 a.m. the day she died, saying that someone was ringing her doorbell. When police arrived at 3:30 a.m. they found no one there.

Her niece found Hopper's body at around 10:30 that morning and let police know that Hopper's car seemed to be missing. Bailey was arrested.

“He is being charged in adult court,” explains Curtis Hill the Prosecuting Attorney of the 34th Judicial Circuit in Elkhart. “Although he's 17 years of age, murder is a direct file in the State of Indiana, so he will simply go straight into circuit court as an adult.”

Bailey is due in court on January 3.