Wife of man accused of murdering 4 children in NC died of natural causes, autopsy reveals

Friday, November 7, 2025
ZEBULON, N.C. (WTVD) -- The ABC11 I-Team uncovered new details about the late wife of Wellington Dickens III, the Johnston County man charged with killing four of his children.

The chief medical examiner's autopsy revealed that 37-year-old Stephanie Jones died on April 21, 2024, from complications from a miscarriage -- stemming from a rare disease.

The autopsy showed that Jones experienced significant bleeding for more than three hours before going to bed. The next morning, around 9 a.m., she collapsed, and Dickens found her without a pulse.

Dickens, 38, told investigators that he tried CPR but was unable to revive her. He then put his wife's body back in bed and lay with her to mourn.

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According to our newsgathering partners the News & Observer, he then went to Zebulon to get food. When he returned, he ate with his children before telling them that their mother was dead.



Dickens then allowed the children to visit with her body before calling 911.

No charges were filed in that case. However, Dickens now faces four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his children.

Dickens called 911 on Oct. 27 and told the operator that he had killed his children, according to the sheriff's office.

When deputies arrived, they discovered the remains of the four children in the trunk of a vehicle inside the garage of a Zebulon home.



The cause of their deaths has yet to be determined.

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