ZEBULON, N.C. — New court documents in a gruesome child murder case suggest the North Carolina man charged with killing his four children may have hosted visitors at his home through a gay dating app while the victims’ bodies were decomposing inside.
Police in Johnston County have obtained additional search warrants in the case of 38-year-old Wellington Dickens III, who is charged with four counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of three of his biological children and his teenage stepson.
Dickens was arrested in October 2025 after he called 911 and confessed to killing the children, whose remains were later found in the trunk of a vehicle parked inside the family’s garage. Investigators say Dickens told dispatchers he had killed them over time, but the exact timeline and motive remain under investigation.
According to newly released warrant filings, Dickens maintained an active account on Grindr, a location-based dating app commonly used by gay, bisexual and queer men. Text messages recovered from his phone reportedly indicate he communicated with multiple people through the app and that some of those individuals “frequented the home during the time span of the murders taking place.” Investigators say there is evidence that app contacts may have been physically present at the residence while the children’s bodies were decomposing in the garage.
Law enforcement is now seeking further data from Dickens’ digital devices and Grindr account, including location information, chat logs and other communications. Additional warrants were also filed to examine other electronic devices recovered at the home and to search nearby wooded areas for the remains of an infant Dickens later claimed to have buried.
Dickens is being held without bond, and North Carolina prosecutors have indicated they intend to pursue the death penalty. His next court appearance is scheduled for March.
The case has drawn national attention for its disturbing details and for the questions it raises about the extent of the father’s actions during the months the murders may have occurred.
