A North Carolina man has been arrested and charged with the murder of his three children and one stepchild. Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, was taken into custody on October 28, 2025, in Zebulon, North Carolina.
Police were called, and Dickens reportedly told them he “over-punished” the children. It’s unclear if the children had been reported missing before.
Authorities found the bodies of the four children in the trunk of Dickens’ car. They believe the bodies had been there for a long time. The children were between 5 and 18 years old.
Another young child, age 3, was found unharmed inside the home and is now in protective custody.
During a search of the house, police found cell phones. Allegedly, one of the phones had messages between Dickens and other men he met on the dating app Grindr. Police allege that Dickens had these men over to the house while the bodies of the children were concealed.
Dickens told police that the first child, a 5-year-old girl, died after he disciplined her. He claimed the second child, a 9-year-old girl, died after he taped her mouth shut because she mentioned the first child’s death. He said the other two, boys ages 10 and 18, died from not getting enough food.
Dickens also admitted that a baby died in his care and that he buried the baby in the woods behind the house. Dickens’ wife died prior to the murders after a miscarriage.
Dickens is currently in jail and not allowed to be released on bond.
