A North Carolina father who killed four of his children reportedly had dates over while their bodies were rotting in the garage. Wellington Dickens III admitted that he killed four of his children in October 2025. At the time, he told police that after each child had died, he put the body in a bag and placed it in the trunk of his car. When police arrived at his home, they found the four bodies in the trunk as Dickens had said, and it was clear they had been there for an extended period of time. At the time of his arrest, Dickens also claimed that his wife had died tragically. A connection between her death and the death of the children has not been made, but the case remains under investigation.
On January 14 and 15, 2026, new search warrants for evidence at Dickens’ home were filed, WNCN reported. The warrants included requests for his computer and at least two iPhones, which were then “forensically reviewed.”
Based on that review, one of the warrants specifically requested account access to the app Grindr. For those who may not know, Grindr is a dating app for gay, bisexual and queer men who may also be seeking casual sex. According to the detective who applied for the warrant, Dickens had multiple text message exchanges with people “introducing himself as the person that they were just speaking with on Grindr,” per WNCN.
According to the warrant, the messages “suggest they frequented the home during the time span of the murders taking place.” Additionally, the texts suggest that the people Dickens was meeting on the app were in his home at the time his children’s bodies were decomposing in his garage.
The warrant, which was approved by a magistrate, will help authorities to investigate Dickens’ account further, including geolocation information, pictures, and videos sent through the app.
Since Dickens’ initial arrest, more details about the deaths of his children have emerged. WNCN obtained the 911 call he made confessing to his crimes.
“I killed my children. It’s a lot to explain, but in a nutshell, it’s all my fault,” he reportedly said before revealing the bodies of three of his biological children and his stepson were in his vehicle’s trunk.
In an interview with detectives after his arrest, Dickens explained that he possibly over-disciplined the children, which led to their deaths.
His 5-year-old daughter Leah was the first to die, WRAL reported. He allegedly disciplined her by sending her to her room. When he returned to check on her, she was dead. A second daughter, 9-year-old Zoe, died after inquiring about her sister. Dickens claimed he put tape over her mouth and sent her to her room. When he went to check on her, she had died.
His 10-year-old son Wellington Dickens IV allegedly died from malnutrition. Dickens was supposedly teaching the boy to box, and the child stopped eating. Dickens’ 18-year-old stepson, Sean Brasfield, also allegedly died from malnutrition.
There was also allegedly a fifth child, an infant named Riley, that Dickens admitted to burying in the yard. The 1-month-old allegedly became sick and died, so Dickens wrapped him in paper and plastic before putting him in a shallow grave behind their home. Police have been unable to find the body.
Deputies allegedly found an “unusual amount” of cleaning supplies in Dickens’ home after a search, WBTV reported. During a second search, they noticed a “hasty paint job” in some parts of the house. They found that unusual, given the ways the children allegedly died.
Dickens appeared in court in December 2025, WNCN reported. At that time, the state announced that it would be seeking the death penalty when his case goes to trial. A homicide status hearing is scheduled for March 27.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
