5th Child Buried In The Woods: Wellington Delano Dickens III Killed 4 Of His Kids & Stuffed Their Bodies In The Truck Of His Car

[Sugar Cookie]

A 38-year-old father in North Carolina was arrested after he allegedly confessed to killing four of his children and stuffing their bodies in the trunk of his car. Wellington Delano Dickens III was taken into custody on Monday and is currently charged with one count of murder in the death of a juvenile, authorities announced.

According to a news release from the Johnston County Sheriff's Office, Dickens called 911 at about 10 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27, and told the emergency dispatcher that he had "killed his children." After identifying himself, Dickens allegedly told the dispatcher his address.

"Mr. Dickens stated to deputies that his 3-year-old son was inside the house alive and four of his other children were deceased inside the trunk of a vehicle in the garage of the residence," the release states.

Following a preliminary investigation, deputies determined that the human remains from the trunk "had been there for a long period of time."

Police soon obtained and executed a search warrant for Dickens' home. Following the search, investigators said they "believed Mr. Dickens killed three of his biological children, ages 6, 9 and 10, and his 18-year-old stepchild."

Police did not speculate as to a possible motive for the alleged killings or why Dickens allegedly chose to leave his youngest child alive.

Read more here

Dad killed 4 children, left youngest alive while others' bodies were stuffed in car trunk: Cops

Wellington Dickens was arrested in North Carolina after he allegedly confessed to killing four of his children and stuffing their bodies in the trunk of his car.

lawandcrime.com

The mother of the children passed away in 2024.

 

[Freyja]

Perhaps in his sick mind, the kids needed to be with their momma because he was in no shape to continue taking care of them. I am surprised he spared the 3-year-old....

 

[cubby]

I think the others were just too much trouble for him and he couldn't control them like he could the baby. I don't think he gave a shit about any of them because if he did he would have found some help.

 

[Kitsune Faye]

This a serial child killer. As a mother, torture and kill him.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

he North Carolina man accused of killing four of his children after human remains were found inside the trunk of a vehicle at their home appears to have spread the slayings over several months, a sheriff said Wednesday.

Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, was charged Tuesday with four counts of murder. The sheriff’s office said investigators believe Dickens killed three of his biological children, ages 6, 9 and 10, as well as his 18-year-old stepchild.

The arrest warrants filed against Dickens listed May 1 as the date of the killings. But Sheriff Steve Bizzell said at a news conference in nearby Smithfield on Wednesday that based on interviews investigators now believe the deaths were spread out over time.

Bizzell said Dickens killed his 6-year-old child in May, the 9-year-old in August, the 10-year-old in late August or early September, and the 18-year-old in September. The state medical examiner’s office is trying to determine how they died, he added.

Bizzell said he didn’t yet know why Dickens killed the children, “but as the sheriff, as a father and as a grandfather, I can stand here and say there’s no reason for a father to murder his children.”

“It’s a lot to explain, but in a nutshell it’s probably my fault … It’s my fault. It’s bad,” the man says, adding that he didn’t use knives or firearms.

“It started out as me over-disciplining — that’s it,” he says. “I beat on them sometimes. They didn’t want to eat, I didn’t force them to eat, I’ve told them it was a punishment not to eat. I did a bunch of different little things.”

A sheriff says a North Carolina suspect may have killed 4 of his children over several months

Authorities say a North Carolina man charged with killing four of his children after human remains were found in the trunk of a vehicle believe the slayings occurred over several months.

apnews.com

The victims were identified as Dickens’s biological and stepchildren:

• Leah Dickens (6) – killed in May 2025
• Zoe Dickens (9) – killed in August 2025
• Wellington Dickens IV (10) – killed in late August/early September 2025
• Sean Brasfield (18) – killed in September 2025

Family members said Dickens, an Iraq War veteran, had struggled since returning from military service and grew increasingly withdrawn after his wife’s death.

He is going to go with any insanity defense.

The mom was shitty too.

Court records show Dickens married his wife Stephanie in 2015. A year later, they gave birth to a baby girl.

WakeMed reported the family to the North Carolina Division of Social Services in 2016, claiming that Dickens and his wife refused medical care for their newborn baby girl against doctors’ orders and left the hospital. The couple and the baby girl did not return for a follow-up appointment, the documents show.

According to the documents, WakeMed said the baby girl suffered from jaundice, a condition that could cause brain damage in newborns.

When social workers showed up to Dickens’ home on Aug. 23, 2016, he refused to let them see the child. He refused to let social workers see the child on subsequent visits.

Authorities eventually arrested Dickens, and he was jailed until he complied with a judge’s order. He told his wife to take their daughter to a clinic.

Dickens later sued WakeMed and Wake County in May 2018, claiming the hospital, social workers, police officers and the judge had violated his rights, including under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] laws.

The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Dickens' wife died in April 2024 due to pregnancy complications.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The warrants released Monday say Dickens and his wife also had a fifth child, named Riley, who died shortly after the family moved into the Zebulon home. Court records show Dickens took possession of the home in May 2023.

Dickens told investigators that Riley was about a month old when the child’s health began to decline. It’s not clear how Riley died.

After the child died, Dickens said he wrapped the body in paper or plastic material and buried the child in a four-foot-deep unmarked grave in a wooded area behind the home. Investigators said Riley’s death was never reported in any capacity.

Family members told investigators they had never seen, heard from or about Riley once the family moved.

Investigators have been searching for Riley’s grave, but so far, they have not found any signs of the baby’s body.

New evidence reveals fifth child dead in Johnston County murder case

New court documents released Tuesday revealed a fifth child in the ongoing investigation into a Johnston County man who admitted to killing his four children.

www.wral.com