ZEBULON, N.C. — A Johnston County man is facing four murder charges after deputies discovered the remains of his four children inside the trunk of a car at his home Monday, authorities said.
According to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, 38-year-old Wellington Delano Dickens III called 911 and admitted to killing his children. Deputies responded to his residence in Zebulon, where they located a vehicle parked inside the garage and found human remains sealed in the trunk.
Sheriff’s officials said the bodies appeared to have been inside the vehicle “for a long period of time.” The remains are believed to be Dickens’ children — ages 6, 9 and 10 — along with his 18-year-old stepchild. Due to the state of the remains, the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to positively confirm their identities.
A 3-year-old child, Dickens’ youngest son, was found alive inside the home.
Dickens was arrested at the scene and charged with four counts of murder. He is being held without bond in the Johnston County Jail following an initial court appearance.
Court records obtained by The Associated Press indicate Dickens had five children living in the home with his wife, Stephanie, who died in April 2024. Her passing occurred just over a year after Dickens’ father was killed in a vehicle collision in Lee County.
Investigators have not yet released a timeline for the alleged killings, nor clarified whether the children had previously been reported missing.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is assisting the sheriff’s office as the case continues.
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