A North Carolina father called 911 on Monday, October 27, 2025, confessing to killing his four children, whose remains were later discovered in the trunk of a car parked in his garage, according to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.
Wellington Delano Dickens III, 38, faces four counts of murder in connection with the deaths of three of his biological children and one stepchild. The children were identified as Leah Dickens, 6; Zoe Dickens, 9; Wellington Dickens IV, 10; and Sean Brasfield, 18. Authorities found a 3-year-old boy alive and unharmed inside the family’s home on Springtooth Drive in Zebulon, approximately 25 miles east of Raleigh.
Sheriff Steve Bizzell revealed at a news conference on Wednesday, October 29, that investigators believe the killings occurred over several months. The youngest victim, Leah, was killed in May 2025. Zoe died in August, Wellington IV in late August or early September, and Sean in September. The remains had been in the vehicle for an extended period, officials said.
In the 911 recording released by the Sheriff’s Office, Dickens told the dispatcher he had killed his children. “It’s a lot to explain, but in a nutshell, it’s probably my fault … I’m not even going … It’s my fault. It’s bad,” Dickens said during the call.
He continued, explaining that the situation had spiraled out of control. “It just started as me over-disciplining,” he told the dispatcher, adding that he beat the children sometimes and punished them by withholding food. When asked how he killed the children, Dickens confirmed he did not use knives or firearms.
Dickens told the dispatcher he had been influenced by a higher power to make the call. “It wasn’t up to me. Like, I had … God influenced me. Like, that’s it,” he said. He admitted to smoking and drinking champagne before placing the call, and expressed feelings of guilt about the situation involving his surviving son.
The sheriff indicated that determining a motive remains part of the ongoing investigation. Bizzell stated that as a sheriff, father, and grandfather, he could find no justification for a father murdering his children.
All five children in the household were homeschooled, which contributed to their isolation from the community. Neighbors told investigators they rarely saw the children outside, and family members reported making unsuccessful attempts to check on the children in the months before the deaths were discovered.
The case has additional tragic dimensions. Dickens’ wife, Stephanie Rae Jones Dickens, died at their home on April 21, 2024, at age 37. She was three months pregnant at the time. Authorities determined she died from complications related to a miscarriage. Dickens told deputies his wife had experienced severe bleeding the night before her death, but refused to seek medical treatment.
The family had a documented history of refusing medical care. In 2016, WakeMed reported the family to the North Carolina Division of Social Services after Dickens and his wife left the hospital with their newborn daughter against medical advice. The infant suffered from jaundice, a condition that can cause brain damage if untreated. When social workers attempted home visits, Dickens refused to allow them to see the child. He was eventually arrested and jailed until he complied with a court order, prompting his wife to take their daughter to a clinic.
Sean Brasfield’s biological father, who requested anonymity, told media outlets he was in total shock over the deaths. He last saw his son around 2014, after being cut off from contact when Sean’s mother began dating Dickens. Sean had cerebral palsy and was blind in one eye. His father described him as a great kid and emphasized that four innocent children lost their lives.
Captain Don Pate explained that the family’s seclusion helped conceal the deaths. Extended family members were not welcome to visit, neighbors never saw the children outside, and their homeschooling meant they had no regular contact with schools or other institutions.
Dickens made his first court appearance on Tuesday, October 28, and a second appearance on the next day. During the Wednesday, October 29, hearing, he clutched a Division of Social Services document related to the placement of his surviving 3-year-old son. Strict privacy laws prevent officials from disclosing details about the toddler’s custody arrangement.
The capital defender’s office appointed Michelle Moore to represent Dickens, who was being held without bond at the Johnston County jail. Moore declined to comment on the case.
In November, newly unsealed search warrants revealed disturbing additional details about the case. Dickens told investigators he also buried a fifth child, a one-month-old infant named Riley, approximately four feet into the ground in the woods behind his Zebulon home. According to the warrants, Dickens claimed the baby died shortly after the family moved into the residence.
The documents also disclosed Dickens’ accounts of how the four other children died: he told authorities that 6-year-old Leah died after he “disciplined” her and went to check on her, finding her deceased. He claimed 10-year-old Wellington IV appeared to die of malnutrition while he was teaching the boy to box, and that 18-year-old Sean Brasfield also died from malnutrition. The 9-year-old, Zoe, allegedly died after Dickens taped her mouth shut as “discipline” when she began making comments about her deceased sister.
Search warrants also revealed Dickens’ Amazon purchase history showed he ordered stain-sealing paint in early September, which investigators believe was used to cover up evidence.
On November 21, Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller announced prosecutors would seek the death penalty against Dickens, citing multiple aggravating circumstances, including the number of victims, the nature of the homicides, and the sequence in which they were carried out. A judge allowed prosecutors to move forward with capital charges and set Dickens’ next court date for March 27, 2026. Dickens has since been transferred from Johnston County Jail to Central Prison in Raleigh for his safety.
