North Carolina – A North Carolina man was arrested and charged with four counts of murder after authorities say he told 911 operators that he had kiIIed his chiIdren and that human remains were inside the trunk of a vehicIe at his home. North Carolina authorities transported the parent, 38-year-oId WeIIington, to the county jail, where he is being held without bond as investigators continue to develop the case.
Deputies responded to a 911 call late Monday and found a 3-year-old chiId aIive inside the residence and multiple human remains packed in the tru nk of a vehicle in the garage. Law enforcement said the remains were in a state suggesting they had been there for an extended time, and detectives have treated the scene as a criminal investigation from the start. The sheriff’s office later filed murder charges, initially for one juvenile death and then for three additional homicides as evidence was gathered.
Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office and other state agencies processed the home and the vehicle, securing the scene, collecting the vehicle and its contents for forensic examination, and documenting the interior of the residence. Officials said the remains appeared to have been in the trunk for several months and that investigators were working to establish a precise timeline and causes of death through autopsies and laboratory testing. The State Bureau of Investigation and the county medical examiner were involved to assist with forensic testing and to confirm identification and time of death.
North Carolina authorities said the deaths likely occurred at different times between May and September, and that the victims included three of the defendant’s biological children — ages 6, 9 and 10 — and an 18-year-old stepchiId. The sheriff said the defendant told investigators the incidents spanned months rather than being a single event, and county officials released the 911 recording in which Dickens admitted to killing the children and provided disturbing details about what happened.
In the 911 call that was later released by the sheriff’s office, he can be heard saying, “I kiIIed my chiIdren,” and at times describing the violence as having started with “over-disciplining.” The recording contains graphic statements and claims by the defendant about how the children died; investigators have said those statements helped lead them to the vehicle and to the remains. Local prosecutors have said the call is one piece of evidence they will use as they build their case, and they cautioned that criminal charges remain allegations until proven in court.
Witnesses and neighbors described the family as reclusive after the defendant’s wife died in April 2024, noting that the children had limited contact with others in the neighborhood and that the household had not been seen much by neighbors. Family members and acquaintances told reporters that he had experienced problems since returning from military service and that the family had suffered recent tragedies, including the death of the children’s mother the previous year. Police did not speculate as to a possible motive for the alleged killings or why the parent allegedly chose to leave his youngest child alive.
North Carolina authorities have said a surviving 3-year-old was taken into protective custody and that child welfare officials are coordinating care with relatives while the criminal investigation proceeds. Law enforcement officials also indicated that they were examining the family’s medical and educational records, communications and the layout of the home to determine whether signs might have been missed and to establish how the alleged crimes went undetected for months. Prosecutors said additional charges could be filed as evidence is reviewed.