Wellington Delano Dickens, N.C dad and ex military vet calls cops to say he killed his four children. Deaths come after children’s mother, Stephanie Dickens dying last year.

 

A 38-year-old North Carolina father was arrested after admitting during a 911 call that he killed his four children.

Wellington Delano Dickens III, a former Iraq combat veteran, called emergency dispatchers around 10 p.m. Monday, October 29, to report what he had done.
The deaths of four children occurred months apart

When first responders from the Johnston County Sheriff's Office arrived at the man's Zebulon address, they found Dickens' 3-year-old son 'unharmed in the residence.' According to authorities, a further check of the home revealed "multiple bodies in the trunk of a vehicle in the garage."


Investigators found the remains of four children believed to have been there for months. Authorities confirmed the victims were Dickens’ biological children — Leah (6), Zoe (9), Wellington Jr. (10) and his 18-year-old stepson, Sean Brasfield.

According to court documents, the killings happened months apart, starting in May and continuing through September this year. All the children were home schooled.

Police also revealed Dickens had a troubled past with child welfare services. 

North Carolina dad arrested after calling 911 to say he killed his four children. Pictured the deceased children.

Records show that in 2016, he and his late wife Stephanie Rae Jones Dickens were accused of neglecting a newborn after refusing medical care.

Records show Dickens’ wife, Stephanie Dickens, died in April 2024 due to medical complications. Investigators say she was three months pregnant at the time and refused hospital treatment despite heavy bleeding.
North Carolina dad and former military veteran dealing with mental health issues

At the time of her death, the mother left behind five children who continued living in the family’s Zebulon home according to USA Today.

Dickens’ great-uncle, Charles Moore, told WRAL-TV that the Iraq War veteran ‘seemed fine’ when he last saw him about a year ago.

‘Like anybody else I was just shocked,’ Moore told the outlet. ‘You hear it, talk about it happening to other people. You just wouldn’t think it would happen to one of your own.’

However, Moore acknowledged Dickens wasn’t the same after serving in the military.

‘We know he had a little problem,’ Moore said. ‘He was in the service, and he had a problem ever since he came back, I think.’

Not immediately clear is how the father was able to provide for his children.

Pictured, Wellington Delano Dickens, Zebulon, N.C dad and his recently deceased wife and the mother of the children, Stephanie Dickens.

Dickens was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and charged with first-degree murder.

Authorities are now waiting for the medical examiner’s report to determine how the children died.

The defendant is currently being held in the Johnston County Jail without bond.

If convicted, Dickens faces a maximum sentence of life without parole or the death penalty.