A North Carolina father who called 911 last month and told authorities that he had killed four of his children and put them in the trunk of his car told investigators that he had also buried a fifth child in the woods behind his home, court documents obtained Tuesday show.
Wellington Dickens III, who was charged with murder in the deaths of four children, told authorities that the fifth child, Riley, died shortly after he moved to a home in Zebulon, east of Raleigh, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant.
According to the affidavit, which was written by a detective with the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office last month, Dickens, 38, said that 1-month-old Riley was his youngest child. The baby’s health declined, Dickens told authorities, and he wrapped Riley in plastic or paper before burying him behind his house, the document states.
The death was never reported, according to the affidavit, and relatives of Dickens told authorities that they never saw or heard from Riley after Dickens moved to the house.
Authorities searched the area where Dickens said he buried the boy but he wasn’t found, according to the affidavit, which notes that additional resources and better weather will allow for the recovery of the baby’s remains.
Additional details about the baby’s death were not immediately available. Johnston County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeff Caldwell said Tuesday that the search for Riley’s remains is ongoing and no additional charges have been filed against Dickens.
Dickens’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Court records show he is being held without bond in connection with the murder charges.
According to the affidavit, Dickens called 911 on Oct. 27 just after 10 p.m. and made the admission about his other children.
“Dickens continued to speak with the dispatcher saying that he did not torture his children, he over disciplined his children and was wanting to turn himself in,” the affidavit states.
Responding deputies found a 3-year-old at his home unharmed and what the affidavit describes as a “body bag” in the trunk of Dickens’ Honda Civic, which was parked in the garage. The deputies noted the smell of decomposition and an “overwhelming amount of bugs” around the bag.
The sheriff’s office previously identified the four children as Leah Dickens, 6; Zoe Dickens, 9; Wellington Dickens IV, 10; and Sean Brasfield, 18. Brasfield was Dickens’ stepchild.
Their remains had been there “for a long period of time,” according to officials.
Dickens said he was teaching the 10-year-old how to box. The boy stopped eating and appeared to die of malnutrition, the affidavit states. He said Brasfield also appeared to have died from malnutrition, according to the affidavit.
Dickens said the youngest child, Leah, died two months earlier, after he “disciplined” her, according to the affidavit. Dickens said he went to check on her and found that she was dead, he told authorities.
The 9-year-old began making comments about her deceased sister, according to the affidavit, so Dickens told authorities that he taped her mouth shut as “discipline.”
“When he returned to check on her, she was found to be deceased,” the affidavit states.
