Father confesses to killing four children in 5 months

 

 

 

PP Cherian

North Carolina: A murder investigation is underway after four children were found in the trunk of a car in Johnston County, North Carolina this week. Deputies said their father confessed to killing them. The killings are believed to have occurred at different times between May and September 2025.

After a search warrant and further investigation, deputies said they believe Dickens killed his three biological children, ages 6, 9 and 10, and his 18-year-old stepfather. The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference about the investigation Wednesday morning at its headquarters in Smithfield.

“What kind of father would want to kill his own children?” Sheriff Steve Bissell said at the news conference.

The father, identified by authorities as Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, of Zebulon, was arraigned Wednesday afternoon on three of four murder charges filed in the preliminary investigation. He made his first appearance Tuesday. He is currently being held in Johnston County Jail.