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Sheriff reveals timeline in father accused of killing his 4 children in North Carolina
More details were revealed in the investigation of four murdered children. Their father allegedly called 911 to confess.
abc7.com
Sheriff reveals timeline in father accused of killing his 4 children in North Carolina
More details were revealed in the investigation of four murdered children. Their father allegedly called 911 to confess.
abc7.com
Sheriff reveals timeline in father accused of killing his 4 children in North Carolina
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 9:01AM
A Johnston County father is charged with murder after allegedly killing all but one of his children.
ZEBULON, N.C. -- More details were revealed by a North Carolina sheriff's office in the investigation of four murdered children.
Wellington Dickens III, 38, was charged with four counts of murder for allegedly killing four of his children.
Dickens called 911 on Monday evening and informed the operator that he had killed his children, according to the sheriff's statement. When deputies arrived, they discovered four children dead in the trunk of a vehicle inside the garage of a Zebulon home. Dickens also told deputies that his three-year-old son was alive inside the house.
Authorities block Wellington Delano Dickens III's home, where remains were found after Dickens told authorities he had killed four of his children, in Zebulon, on Oct. 28, 2025
AP Photo/Allen G. Breed
In a news conference Wednesday, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said all five children were homeschooled. It was determined that the remains had been there for a long period of time.
He laid out the timeline of the deaths based on the investigation and interviews:
- Leah Dickens, 6 was killed in May 2025
- Zoe Dickens, 9, was killed August 2025
- Wellington Dickens, 10, was killed in either late August or early September 2025
- Sean Brassfield, 18, (Stepchild) was killed in September 2025
The remains of all four victims have been sent to the medical examiner. As of now, no motive has been identified, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The 3-year-old is alive and safe. He was taken by DSS for medical evaluation.
This photo provided by the Johnston County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, shows Wellington Delano Dickens III.
Johnston County Sheriff's Office via AP
Sheriff Bizzell also said Wednesday That Dickens' wife, Stephanie, died at home on April 21, 2024. She was found deceased by Dickens and was three months pregnant at the time.
Her death was attributed to complications from a miscarriage. Dickens told authorities that his wife had experienced severe bleeding the night before her death but had refused to seek medical treatment.
He is expected to make his second court appearance on Wednesday.