Police arrested Serena Dolnics after finding her father dead during a welfare check at their Morgan Township home.
VALPARAISO, Ind. — A northwest Indiana woman has pleaded not guilty to murder after authorities accused her of fatally stabbing her father and removing his heart inside the home they shared in rural Porter County.
Serena Desiree Dolnics, 32, was charged in the death of Gregory Dolnics, who was found July 26 at a residence in Morgan Township, outside Valparaiso. She was booked into the Porter County Jail early the next morning and was being held without bond, according to public jail information and news reports citing court records.
Porter County sheriff’s deputies went to the home shortly before 8 p.m. after relatives requested a welfare check. Family members said they had been unable to reach Gregory Dolnics and reported that his daughter had made unusual statements when they asked to speak with him, according to accounts of the court filings.
While a relative was speaking with a dispatcher, Serena Dolnics’ boyfriend contacted the family and said he had seen her covered in blood at the home, investigators alleged. He also expressed concern that she might harm herself. When deputies arrived, he told them that Dolnics had locked him outside.
An officer looked through a window and saw blood on the floor and a person lying inside, according to court records described by local news organizations. Deputies forced their way into the locked residence and found Gregory Dolnics dead. Authorities alleged that he had suffered several sharp-force injuries.
The filings said officers found evidence that an organ had been removed from the victim’s chest and placed on his abdomen. The detail was described in court records and has not been tested at trial. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive for the killing.
During a protective search of the house, officers saw a bedroom door close and lock, investigators said. A tactical team was called, and Serena Dolnics was taken into custody. Police said blood was visible on her clothing, legs and feet.
Dolnics was taken to a hospital for injuries to her hand before she was booked into jail. Medical workers told investigators that the wounds appeared consistent with a knife slipping through her hand, according to reports on the court documents. Police said they recovered three blood-covered knives from the home.
Investigators said Dolnics told officers that she had spent the day watching television and that she and her father got along well. She reportedly attributed her hand injuries to using yard tools, though officers said they did not find a garden on the property. Those statements remain allegations contained in the investigation and have not been evaluated by a jury.
Dolnics appeared before Porter Circuit Court Judge David C. Matsey on July 30 and entered a not-guilty plea. A murder charge is an accusation, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Authorities described the death as an isolated incident and said there was no continuing danger to the public.
The investigation remained active, and no motive had been announced as of Monday. Information about Dolnics’ next confirmed court proceeding was not immediately available from the records reviewed for this report.
Author note: Last updated August 3, 2026.