Search Warrants Reveal Possible Fifth Child Dead, Buried In Woods

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JOHNSTON COUNTY — Newly released search warrants reveal disturbing new details in the case of a Johnston County father charged with killing four of his children — including allegations that a fifth child, a 1-month-old infant, may also be dead and buried in the woods behind the family’s home.

Five search warrants, obtained by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office and released Monday, detail what investigators say Wellington Delano Dickens III told dispatchers and detectives after calling 911 on Oct. 27 to report that he had killed his four children.

Deputies responded to Dickens’ home at 101 Springtooth Drive, Zebulon, in northern Johnston County, where they found him outside the residence and discovered a large white body bag inside the trunk of a silver Honda Civic with a Texas license plate parked in the garage. According to the warrants, there was a strong odor of decomposition coming from the trunk. Deputies also noted what they described as an unusual amount of cleaning supplies inside the home, along with areas of fresh paint that appeared suspicious.

Investigators found what appeared to be the remains of four children in the vehicle’s trunk, remains that they believe had been there “for an extended period of time.” A 3-year-old child who was still alive was found unharmed inside the home.

Detectives said, in the search warrants, Dickens described the deaths of the four children — Leah Dickens, 6; Zoe Dickens, 9; Wellington Dickens IV, 10; and 18-year-old stepchild Sean Brasfield — occurring over multiple months under varying circumstances. He reportedly told investigators that his 5-year-old daughter died after he disciplined her and later found her unresponsive, and that her 9-year-old sister died after he taped her mouth shut as discipline for talking about the earlier death. He further claimed that his 10-year-old son, he was teaching to box, and his 18-year-old stepson died from malnutrition.

Infant Possibly Buried Behind the Home

The newly released warrants also detail Dickens’ statements about a fifth child, an infant named Riley, he claimed died of natural causes shortly after the family moved into the Springtooth Drive home. During an interview, Dickens reportedly indicated that authorities would find the 1-month-old’s body buried in a wooded area behind the house. He told detectives the child died approximately two years ago and that he buried the infant roughly four feet deep, wrapped in paper or plastic.

Family members who were interviewed about Riley said they never saw her after she was born.

Authorities conducted three separate searches of the wooded area behind the Springtooth Drive home in an effort to locate the infant’s remains. The sheriff’s office initially used cadaver dogs and other detection tools but found nothing. Investigators returned for a second search, again using cadaver dogs and working from additional information Dickens provided about the location, but were still unable to locate the burial site.

A third and more extensive search on Nov. 12 brought approximately 30 officers from the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to the property.

Despite combing the area for hours, investigators were again unable to find the infant’s unmarked grave.

Deputies noted in the warrants that Dickens pointed out a general area inside the tree line on an aerial photograph of the property but the remains could still not be located.

According to the sheriff’s office, there is currently no evidence suggesting Dickens was not telling the truth about the infant’s death, which occurred sometime around 2023.

Other Findings in the Home and Investigation

Investigators reported finding a “hasty paint job” inside the residence, including dark-colored walls with freshly painted baseboards. A paint tray and roller in the garage appeared newly used. Records from a court order for Dickens’ Amazon purchase history show that he ordered stain-sealing paint in early September, which investigators say can sometimes indicate attempts to cover or mask biological evidence.

The warrants also state that deputies smelled marijuana inside the home. Dickens allegedly told them he had thrown a bag containing narcotics out the back door.

One of the warrants authorized investigators to seize extensive digital evidence from Dickens’ Facebook accounts, including messages, posts, location data, deleted content, and other account activity.

Multiple items were seized from the residence as evidence. One of the more interesting items seized was an urn with the ashes of Stephanie Rae Jones, the deceased mother of the children. Jones died in April 2024 reportedly due to complications stemming from a miscarriage.

Investigation Ongoing

Dickens is charged with four counts of murder and remains in the Johnston County Detention Center without bond.

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains ongoing.

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This story has been updated