Four Children Found Dead in a Car; Their Father Confessed to the Crime

• Father Confesses to the Murders of His Children
• Four Children Found Dead
• North Carolina in Shock

According to USA Today, the community of Zebulon, North Carolina, was left in shock after a man confessed to killing his four children and hiding their bodies in the trunk of a car.

Authorities identified the suspect as Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, who is currently being held without bond at the Johnston County Jail.

According to the sheriff’s office, Dickens was charged with four counts of murder after a 911 call in which he confessed to the killings.

The investigation is ongoing, and emerging details describe a horrific crime that has shaken the entire region.

Bodies Found in the Trunk of the Car

According to the official statement, on October 27 at 10:09 p.m., emergency services received a 911 call from a man claiming he had killed his children.

When officers arrived at Dickens’ home, located in a rural area about 40 kilometers east of Raleigh, they found him inside the residence.

According to the report, the man told officers that his 3-year-old son was safe inside the house, while his other four children were dead in the trunk of a vehicle in his garage.

Upon inspection, officers confirmed the presence of multiple bodies in an advanced state of decomposition inside the car’s trunk.

Father Confesses to the Murders of Children; Authorities Confirm the Victims

County authorities reported that the human remains may have been inside the trunk for several months, possibly since May.

Once the residence was secured, investigators obtained a search warrant to conduct a detailed examination of the crime scene.

According to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Dickens is believed to have killed his three biological children — aged 6, 9, and 10 — and his 18-year-old stepson, identified as Sean Brasfield.

The victims were later identified as Leah Dickens (6), Zoe Dickens (9), Wellington Dickens (10), and Sean Brasfield (18).

Family Tragedy Marked by Previous Deaths

Court records show that Dickens’ wife, Stephanie Rae Jones Dickens, died in April 2024.

Her obituary stated that she passed away suddenly at home, just over a year after a car accident that claimed her father’s life in Lee County, North Carolina.

After their mother’s death, the five children lived in the family home in Zebulon with their father.

The suspect’s great-uncle, Charles Moore, told WRAL-TV that Dickens was an Iraq War veteran and that the last time he saw him — about a year ago — “he seemed to be fine.”

Justice and Shock After the Crime

On October 28, Dickens appeared in court for the first time, where he was formally charged with four counts of murder.

According to court records, a probable cause hearing is scheduled for November 13, and a public defender will be appointed to his case.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is assisting the sheriff’s office in collecting forensic evidence and analyzing the scene.

The local community, along with veteran groups and neighbors, have expressed deep sorrow and outrage over the magnitude of the tragedy, describing the case of the four children found dead in a car as one of the most disturbing in the state’s recent history.