North Carolina father faces murder charges in deaths of four children

A quiet neighborhood in North Carolina became the focus of a disturbing criminal investigation late last year.

Authorities say a father walked into police custody and disclosed events that investigators are now piecing together.

Arrest and charges

Wellington Delano Dickens III was arrested by Johnston County Police in Zebulon, North Carolina, and charged with four counts of first-degree murder on Oct. 28, 2025, according to arrest records reviewed by PEOPLE.

He is being held without bond.

The victims were his children, ranging in age from 5 to 18. According to WBTV, Dickens contacted 911 himself and surrendered to authorities.

Investigators told the outlet that Dickens claimed he did not torture the children but had “over-punished” them. It remains unclear whether the children had ever been reported missing.

Discovery at the scene

Police reported finding the bodies of the four children in the trunk of Dickens’ car, where they were believed to have been kept “for a long period of time,” according to WBTV.

Three of the children were between 5 and 10 years old. The fourth was Dickens’ 18-year-old stepchild, the station reported.

A separate 3-year-old child was found alive inside the home and later placed in protective custody, according to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, as cited by WBTV.

Investigative findings

While searching the residence, police recovered two cell phones.

One allegedly contained messages between Dickens and men he met through Grindr, according to WBTV, citing a search warrant.

Authorities said Dickens told them the first victim was a 5-year-old girl whom he disciplined and later found dead. He allegedly said he taped a second child’s mouth shut after she commented on the first death and later found her dead as well.

Dickens reportedly told police he believed the remaining two victims, a 10-year-old boy and an 18-year-old boy, died from malnutrition.

Additional allegations

According to ABC 11, Dickens also confessed that a 1-month-old baby died in his care after a brief illness and was buried in an unmarked grave in the woods behind the house.

The outlet reported that Dickens’ wife, Stephanie Jones, had died following a miscarriage before the alleged killings.

Anyone who suspects child abuse can contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child.

Sources: PEOPLE, WBTV, ABC 11

This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, who may have used AI in the preparation