In a tragic case unfolding in North Carolina, a father, Wellington Delano Dickens III, aged 38, faces charges after a shocking confession led to his arrest. Allegedly, Dickens admitted to the chilling act of killing four of his children and concealing their bodies in his vehicle’s trunk. On Monday, authorities detained him, charging him with one count of murder concerning a juvenile victim, as stated by local officials.

The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office detailed the grim events in a news release. It all began when Dickens made a distressing 911 call around 10 p.m. on Monday, October 27. During this call, he reportedly confessed to the dispatcher that he had “killed his children,” providing his address on Springtooth Drive in Zebulon, North Carolina—a location approximately 175 miles east of Charlotte.

The news release further describes how Dickens informed the deputies that his 3-year-old son was still alive inside the house, while the bodies of his other children were hidden in the trunk of a car parked in the garage.

When emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found the 3-year-old boy unharmed within the residence. However, their search soon led to a grim discovery: multiple human remains in the car’s trunk, also located in the garage.

The initial investigation suggested that the bodies had been in the trunk for an extended period, further deepening the tragedy of this case as authorities work to piece together the timeline and circumstances of these horrific events.

Police soon obtained and executed a search warrant for Dickens’ home. Following the search, investigators said they “believed Mr. Dickens killed three of his biological children, ages 6, 9 and 10, and his 18-year-old stepchild.”

The Office of the State Medical Examiner responded to the home along with agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, who were tasked with assisting sheriff’s detectives.

Police said that due to “the apparent time since death,” identification of the bodies must be confirmed by the medical examiner’s office. No details were disclosed regarding the victims’ suspected cause of death.

Police did not speculate as to a possible motive for the alleged killings or why Dickens allegedly chose to leave his youngest child alive.

The defendant is currently being held in the Johnston County Jail without bond. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities emphasized that the probe into the children’s deaths remains ongoing, adding that additional charges against Dickens are “anticipated as the investigation unfolds.” Police urged anyone with information relevant to the case to contact the department.