In North Carolina, a 38-year-old man is facing grave accusations of murdering four of his children, whose bodies were discovered in the trunk of his vehicle last month. He has reportedly confessed to having buried a fifth child in the woods behind his home earlier in 2023.

Wellington Delano Dickens III, upon his arrest, was charged with four first-degree murder counts for the deaths of his three biological children, aged 5, 9, and 10, along with his 18-year-old stepson. This chilling revelation emerged following the unsealing of search warrant applications on Monday.

According to previous reports from Law&Crime, Dickens made a disturbing 911 call around 10 p.m. on Monday, October 27. He allegedly confessed to the dispatcher that he had “killed his children,” providing his name and address on the 100 block of Springtooth Drive in Zebulon, North Carolina, a location approximately 175 miles east of Charlotte.

In a statement issued by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Dickens allegedly informed deputies that his 3-year-old son was unharmed inside the house, while the bodies of his other four children were locked in the trunk of a car located in his garage. More details were shared in a previous news release.

First responders who arrived at the scene confirmed that Dickens’ 3-year-old was indeed unharmed inside the home. However, deputies soon made a grim discovery of what appeared to be multiple deceased bodies in the vehicle’s trunk within the garage.

Upon arriving at the address, first responders said they located Dickens’ 3-year-old son “unharmed in the residence.” But deputies said they soon discovered “what were believed to be multiple bodies in the trunk of a vehicle in the garage.”

Following a preliminary investigation, deputies determined that the human remains from the trunk “had been there for a long period of time.”

In an interview with detectives, Dickens said the deaths of his 5-year-old daughter and her 9-year-old sister resulted from punishments he admitted may have been too harsh, Charlotte CBS affiliate WBTV reported.

Dickens reportedly said that sometime in June, he had disciplined the 5-year-old before sending her to her room. He claimed that when he went back to the room to check on her, she was dead. When the 9-year-old made comments to Dickens about her younger sister’s death, Dickens reportedly taped the child’s mouth shut. When he came back to check on the 9-year-old, he claimed she too had died.

Dickens said the 10-year-old, whom he had been teaching to box, had stopped eating and was the third to die, likely due to malnutrition, Raleigh NBC affiliate WRAL reported.

The 18-year-old was the last to perish. Dickens said the teen died in September, also likely from malnutrition.

Dickens also revealed that shortly after moving to the Zebulon home in May 2023, his newborn son Riley’s health deteriorated, Raleigh CBS affiliate WNCN reported. He claimed the boy was about 1 month old when he died. After wrapping Riley’s body in paper and plastic materials, Dickens said he brought the baby’s body into the woods behind his home and buried him in a grave about 4 feet deep.

Deputies have reportedly been unable to find the boy’s body.

The sheriff’s office told WNCN that there was not sufficient evidence for additional charges against Dickens, but emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing. Dickens’ 3-year-old son was placed in the custody of the state’s Department of Social Services.

Dickens’ neighbor, Josalyn Tabron, told WNCN that the community never even knew about Riley.

“This is crazy. The whole situation is really crazy,” Tabron said in an interview with the station. “The whole situation is really devastating because it’s like, you know, how could somebody actually do this to their kids? But it’s just crazy.”

Dickens is in custody at Raleigh Central Prison, where he is being held without bond. He is currently scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 4.