On the night of Sunday, January 26, 2025, 18-year-old Fernanda Leon was shot near South 6th Street and Hively Avenue in Elkhart, Indiana. A 911 call came in about 11:20 p.m.; a private vehicle soon brought Leon, unconscious and suffering from a gunshot wound, to Elkhart General Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Born in Mission, Texas, she was living in Osceola, Indiana, at the time.

The Elkhart County Homicide Unit has described the investigation as active and ongoing. In the early hours after the shooting officers went to a home in the 2700 block of South 6th Street; a roughly hourlong standoff ended around 6:30 a.m. when a man and a woman exited with their hands up. The man was searched and taken into custody, but officials have not publicly tied anyone to Leon’s death or identified suspects in the case.

Anyone who has information about what happened that night is asked to contact the Elkhart County Homicide Unit or Michiana Crime Stoppers.