The chilling case of a Johnston County father accused of a harrowing series of child murders has taken a grim turn, with the revelation of a fifth potential victim. Wellington Delano Dickens III had been arrested on October 27 after confessing to the killing of his four children, but according to a recently filed search warrant by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, a fifth infant child also died under mysterious circumstances.
As reported by CBS17, Dickens conveyed to authorities that his one-month-old, Riley, passed away after a decline in health soon after the family moved to Zebulon. He reportedly buried the infant behind their house without a marker to pinpoint the grave, in a disturbing sequence of events eerily similar to the fate of the other children. The discovery, or lack thereof, of Riley's body continues to be a critical void in this ongoing investigation, with deputies yet to locate the infant's remains.
In a statement obtained by ABC11, neighbor Peggy Inserra described the horror of possibly living adjacent to the makeshift grave, expressing a concerning sentiment that echoes through the community: "It's horrible. It's very sad and very upsetting and very distressing that the view from my house is looking into woods where he supposedly buried that child," Inserra said, drawing a stark picture of the unrest following these developments.
Further complicating the investigation, detectives have learned from Dickens' statements, as detailed by WRAL News, that his method of dealing with his children was alarmingly punitive. The information shared presents a gruesome timeline of the children's deaths, ranging from claims of malnutrition to suffocation via disciplinary methods gone too far. Incriminatingly, Dickens also reportedly searched online for paint that could cover up stains, leading authorities to believe there may be more evidence hidden beneath layers of paint in the home. Detectives now intend to use chemical analysis to potentially unveil these concealed signs of violence.
Last seen outfitted in prisoner's attire, the alleged perpetrator had escorted investigators across his property on October 31, a visual that neighbors captured on video. While the haunting search continues, the community grapples with the ghastly reality of the tragedy next door, as Josalyn Tabron, another neighbor, told ABC11, "We never knew (of the 1-month-old). This is crazy. The whole situation is really crazy." Dickens awaits his appearance in Johnston County Court on December 4, while the three-year-old surviving child of the family has been placed under the protective custody of the Department of Social Services.
