VALPARAISO — A 32-year-old Northwest Indiana woman has been charged with murder after police say she stabbed her 70-year-old father to death and severed his heart from his body.
Serena Desiree Dolnics, of Wheatfield, was formally charged on July 28 in Porter County in connection with the death of her father, Gregory Dolnics. She is currently being held without bond at the Porter County Jail.
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched around 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, to a residence in the 50 block of South 450 East in Valparaiso. Concerned family members requested a welfare check after Gregory failed to answer phone calls and Serena reportedly made “odd statements” whenever relatives asked to speak with him.
While family members were on the phone with 911 dispatchers, Serena’s ex-boyfriend contacted the family. He warned them that Serena had stabbed her father, was “covered in blood,” and that he feared she might turn a weapon on herself.
When the first responding officer arrived on the scene, the ex-boyfriend was waiting outside, explaining that Serena had locked him out of the house. Peering through a window, the officer observed drops of blood on the floor and a body lying unresponsive inside.
Officers forced entry into the residence and discovered Gregory Dolnics deceased on the living room floor near two recliners. Court documents detail that the victim suffered extensive sharp-force trauma and laceration wounds to his head, hands, and arms. Investigators noted that his heart had been cut out and was found resting on his body.
SWAT Standoff and Arrest
During a protective sweep of the home, officers saw a bedroom door slam shut and lock. SWAT operators responded to assist, and around 9:45 p.m., officers breached the room and took Serena into custody without further incident.
At the time of her arrest, Serena was shoeless, wearing only a blood-soaked tank top and no pants, with heavy bloodstains covering her legs and feet.
Investigators recovered three bloody knives from the living room and kitchen areas, all showing blood on their handles. A trail of blood droplets stretched from the living room through the kitchen into the bedroom where Serena had barricaded herself.
Interrogation and Defense Claims
Serena was initially transported to a local hospital, where medical staff treated lacerations and cuts across the palms and back of her right hand. Investigators noted the injuries were consistent with a knife slipping during a violent assault.
After being treated and released, Serena waived her Miranda rights and agreed to speak with detectives. According to court documents:
- Routine Day Claims: Serena claimed she had spent the day watching Game of Thrones on television while her father “laid around” because he “wasn’t feeling too good”.
- Father-Daughter Relationship: She told investigators that she and her father generally got along “really well,” though they occasionally engaged in “small tiffs here and there” that were quickly resolved.
- Explanation of Cuts: When asked about the deep cuts on her hands, Serena offered conflicting explanations, claiming she injured herself due to being “clumsy” while using a saw or weedwhacker in the garden.
The coroner’s preliminary examination ruled Gregory Dolnics’s death a homicide caused by multiple sharp-force injuries. An initial court hearing for Serena Dolnics is pending in Porter County Circuit Court.
Those facing criminal charges are considered innocent until proven guilty through a fair and due legal process. Accusations alone do not imply guilt; the judicial system will evaluate the presented evidence to reach a verdict.
