New evidence reveals fifth child dead in murder case
By Eric Miller
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North Carolina (WRAL) — New warrants released Monday reveal the Zebulon father accused of murdering his four children had a fifth child, whom he buried behind the family’s home.
Wellington Dickens III is facing multiple counts of first-degree murder. He was arrested in October, after calling 911 and telling the dispatcher he’d killed the children through a combination of neglect and over-discipline.
The warrants released Monday say Dickens and his wife also had a fifth child, named Riley, who died shortly after the family moved into the Zebulon home. Court records show Dickens took possession of the home in May 2023.
Dickens told investigators that Riley was about a month old when the child’s health began to decline. It’s not clear how Riley died.
After the child died, Dickens said he wrapped the body in paper or plastic material and buried the child in a four-foot-deep unmarked grave in a wooded area behind the home. Investigators said Riley’s death was never reported in any capacity.
Family members told investigators they had never seen, heard from or about Riley once the family moved.
Investigators have been searching for Riley’s grave, but so far, they have not found any signs of the baby’s body.
Neighbors told WRAL News that sheriff’s deputies and members of the State Bureau of Investigation have visited the home multiple times since Dickens was arrested. That includes one visit on October 31, when a video shared by neighbors shows Dickens himself leading investigators across the property. In the video, Dickens is wearing an orange and white jumpsuit and has his hands and feet shackled.
He told dispatchers he did not use a knife or gun to kill the children. According to arrest warrants, he over-disciplined them and wanted to turn himself in.
The warrants also revealed the order in which the other children died.
According to investigators, Dickens said his 5-year-old daughter, Leah Dickens, was the first to die. He said he had disciplined her, and after returning to her room to check on her, she was dead.
Dickens said his 9-year-old daughter, Zoe Dickens, was the next child to die. According to warrants, Dickens told investigators that Zoe began asking about her sister. Dickens admitted to investigators that he taped her mouth shut to discipline her, and when he returned to check on her, she was also dead.
Dickens told investigators his 10-year-old son, Wellington Dickens IV, was the third child to die. According to arrest warrants, Dickens said he was teaching the boy how to box. He said the boy had stopped eating, and his father believed he died from malnutrition.
The fourth child to die was his 18-year-old stepson, Sean Brasfield, who he believed also died from malnutrition.
Warrants also revealed that much of the inside of Dickens’ home had recently been repainted. These warrants say Dickens had also been searching Amazon for a type of paint capable of covering up stains.
Investigators now want to bring in chemicals that could reveal bloodstains under that paint.
The investigation is still active and ongoing.
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