Background: A section of South 450 East in Valparaiso, Indiana (Google Maps). Inset: Serena Dolnics (Porter County Sheriff's Office).
A woman in Indiana killed her father, cut out his heart, and then told responding police that the resulting injuries to her hand were the result of gardening — despite no garden existing on the property, authorities say.
Serena Dolnics, 32, has been charged with murder, jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show. She is being detained in the Porter County Sheriff's Office's jail without bond.
She is accused of fatally stabbing her father, 69-year-old Gregory Dolnics, regional The CW affiliate WGN reported.
On Sunday at about 8 p.m., police were asked to do a welfare check on Gregory Dolnics at a residence on South 450 East in Valparaiso, Indiana. The city is located in northwest Indiana, about 50 miles from Chicago.
While a family member of the man was speaking with police, they said a friend of Serena Dolnics began texting and calling them. The friend apparently stated that the defendant stabbed her father and was covered in blood.
Officers arrived at the home and entered through the back. When they did, they found Gregory Dolnics' body.
He had laceration wounds on his head, arms, and hands, and his shirt was rolled up to his chest with what was suspected to be his heart lying on his stomach, according to court documents obtained by local NBC affiliate WTHR.
Blood was everywhere, and the body had an open chest wound that "appeared to be empty, as if something was removed," police wrote.
Inside a bedroom, officers reportedly found the suspect and detained her. She was allegedly wearing a tank top that "contained a large amount of blood" and her legs were also covered in blood.
Serena Dolnics was taken to an area hospital, where doctors found injuries to her hands. The injuries appeared to track with a knife slipping through a hand, according to court documents, which noted that handles of three knives found back at the home had blood on them.
When pressed about the injuries, the defendant allegedly said they came from working in the garden while clumsily using a Weedwacker or a small saw. Authorities, however, noted that there did not appear to be any garden on the property.
Gregory Dolnics was ruled dead as a result of homicide, and his daughter was charged with murder. Court records do not yet list a date when she is expected to appear in court.