ZEBULON, N.C. — A man in North Carolina is facing multiple murder charges after authorities discovered human remains in the trunk of a vehicle parked in his garage. Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, was charged with four counts of murder on Tuesday following a disturbing 911 call he made, claiming he had killed his children.
According to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Dickens was taken into custody without bond and is currently housed at the county jail. Initially, he was charged in connection with the death of one of his children; however, three additional murder charges were later added as the investigation unfolded.
On Monday evening, Dickens made a call to emergency services, confessing to the deaths of his children. Responding deputies found his 3-year-old son alive in the family home, located just outside Zebulon, approximately 25 miles east of Raleigh. However, the grim discovery soon followed, as deputies uncovered the remains of Dickens’ other four children in the trunk of his car.
Authorities believe that the deceased children—three of Dickens’ biological children aged 6, 9, and 10, along with an 18-year-old stepchild—were killed as far back as May 1. The sheriff’s office stated that the remains appeared to have been in the trunk for an extended period.
Court documents indicate that Dickens was brought before a judge on Tuesday afternoon regarding the initial murder charge. He is set to be provided with legal representation, although an attorney has yet to be formally assigned.
The tragic case has drawn attention not only for its horrifying details but also for Dickens’ personal history. His wife, Stephanie, passed away in April 2024, leaving behind five children, according to records from her estate. Dickens’ hardships have compounded, as his father also died in a car accident the previous year.
Family members have revealed that Dickens was an Iraq War veteran, although little has been known about his condition in recent years. His great-uncle, Charles Moore, mentioned that he hadn’t seen Dickens in about a year but believed he was coping well.
Investigators spent significant time at the scene on Tuesday, setting up tents outside the home in a recently developed neighborhood. Neighbors expressed their shock and sadness at the unfolding situation. Many noted a decline in interactions with the Dickens family since the death of Stephanie, with some recognizing the children from brief encounters at the school bus stop.
Despite the community’s close-knit nature, some residents remarked that they had not witnessed any signs of trouble prior to this tragedy. “I always thought the kids should be out playing, but I never connected the dots until now,” neighbor Terry Fuller shared, reflecting on the shocking events that have rocked their once-peaceful subdivision.
Zebulon, historically a tobacco town, is now evolving into a residential area for those working in the Raleigh-Durham region. The contrast between the community’s development and the recent tragedy underscores the complexity of life in the area as it begins to change.