Midwest woman cut her father's HEART out during brutal murder, investigators say

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:03, 1 August 2026 | Updated: 06:16, 1 August 2026 An Indiana woman allegedly cut out her own father's heart during a brutal stabbing frenzy, police have alleged.  Serena Dolnics, 32, was arrested Sunday evening outside the home of her father Gregory Dolnics, 70, in Valparaiso, Indiana.  Officers were called to the home for a welfare check by concerned family members, who said she had been making 'odd statements' when they asked to speak with her father.  While the family were on the phone to 911, Serena's boyfriend allegedly then sent messages to the family saying he was at Gregory's home, and saw Serena 'covered in blood.'  The boyfriend allegedly said Serena had stabbed her father in a frenzy, and believed that she was going to kill herself.  When officers arrived at the home, Serena Dolnics had barricaded herself in a locked bedroom, reports FOX8.  A SWAT team was called to the home at around 8pm, with Serena remaining in a standoff with officers until she was arrested at around 9:45pm.  Her father's body was discovered inside the home with his heart cut out and placed on his stomach, police said.  The 70-year-old had also suffered a number of other wounds to his head, hands and arms, authorities said.  Serena Dolnics, 32, allegedly cut out her own father's heart in a brutal stabbing frenzy at his home in Valparaiso, Indiana, on Sunday  Dolnics allegedly cut out her father's heart and stabbed him across his head, arms and torso, and police said she was arrested 'covered in blood'  Officers found the body of Gregory Dolnics, 70, in his home, and his death was ruled a homicide In court documents reported by NBC Chicago, officers described a gruesome scene inside the Indiana home, including finding Serena covered in blood when she was taken into custody.  An officer first arriving on the scene said when they first looked through a window of the home, they saw drops of blood on the floor. Three blood-covered knives were reportedly recovered inside the home, and a coroner ruled the death a homicide by multiple sharp-force injuries.  Serena Dolnics is now facing murder charges, and court records show she was denied bail.  When Serena was taken into custody, she was initially transported to hospital due to injuries to her hand.  She reportedly told officers that the injury was unrelated to the bloodbath in her father's home, and was the result of using a 'weedwhacker and small saw' in her yard.  However, officers noted that there was no garden on the property where she claimed to have been working.  Authorities said the investigation into the alleged stabbing spree is ongoing, and an alleged motive has not yet been established.  Officers were called to the family home in Valparaiso, Indiana, for a welfare check when family members said Serena Dolnics made 'odd statements' when they asked to speak with her father Serena Dolnics allegedly barricaded herself in a locked bedroom when officers arrived, and after a SWAT team was called to the home at around 8pm, she remained in a standoff until she was arrested at around 9:45pm Investigators say they are yet to establish a motive for the alleged murder  At her arraignment on Thursday, Serena Dolnics pleaded not guilty.   Court records obtained by the Daily Mail show it is not Serena Dolnics's first run in with the law.  In April 2023, she was charged with possession of methamphetamine and resisting law enforcement.  Dolnics was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence and probation in that case, and was mandated to submit to random drug testing, court ordered therapy, and mental health evaluations.  She was also arrested twice in 2016 for various traffic infractions including driving while intoxicated, endangering a person, and driving with a suspended license. In 2015, Dolnics was also arrested for public intoxication and driving under the influence, and received a 180 day suspended sentence.