A guy in North Carolina called 911 to report that he had killed his children, and when officers came, they discovered four of their badly decomposed remains in the trunk of his car, authorities said.
The bodies of Wellington Delano Dickens III’s biological children, ages 6, 9, and 10, as well as his 18-year-old stepchild, had been inside the car’s trunk “for a long period of time,” according to a release from the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office.
Dickens’ 3-year-old son was discovered unharmed inside the residence in Zebulon.
The heinous act was discovered on Monday, October 27, when Dickens called 911 “and relayed to the call taker that he had killed his children,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies arrived to the address and allegedly discovered “multiple bodies in the trunk of a vehicle in the garage,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities did not reveal the cause of death.
According to warrants issued in the case and seen by PEOPLE, the murders occurred on May 1.
Stephanie Rae Jones Dickens, Dickens’ wife, died in April 2024, according to court documents for her estate.
Stephanie, 37, died unexpectedly at home on Sunday, April 21, 2024, according to her obituary. According to the obituary, they married in August 2015, and Dickens and her five children survived her.
“Due to the apparent time since death, positive identification of the decedents will be confirmed with the assistance of the State Medical Examiner’s Office,” according to the sheriff’s department.
Dickens was charged with four charges of murder. He is being held without bond at the Johnston County Jail.
He made his first appearance at the Johnston County Courthouse on Tuesday, according to court documents. He is due back in court on November 13.
He is defended by a public defender who is not identified in court documents.
The public defender’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
