Inset: Wellington D. Dickens III (Johnston County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Multiple law enforcement agencies responding to Dickens’ home after he allegedly admitted to killing four of his children (WRAL).
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 in the 100 block of Springtooth Drive in Zebulon, North Carolina. The home is about 175 miles east of Charlotte.
“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.
Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they located Dickens’ 3-year-old son “unharmed in the residence.” But deputies said they soon discovered “what were believed to be multiple bodies in the trunk of a vehicle in the garage.”
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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.”
The Office of the State Medical Examiner responded to the home along with agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, who were tasked with assisting sheriff’s detectives.
Police said that due to “the apparent time since death,” identification of the bodies must be confirmed by the medical examiner’s office. No details were disclosed regarding the victims’ suspected cause of death.
Police did not speculate as to a possible motive for the alleged killings or why Dickens allegedly chose to leave his youngest child alive.
The defendant is currently being held in the Johnston County Jail without bond. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities emphasized that the probe into the children’s deaths remains ongoing, adding that additional charges against Dickens are “anticipated as the investigation unfolds.” Police urged anyone with information relevant to the case to contact the department.
