Jill Duggar’s Family “Shocked” After Joseph Duggar’s Arrest for Child Molestation Charges
Jill Duggar’s Family “Shocked” After Joseph Duggar’s Arrest for Child Molestation Charges
After Joseph Duggar was arrested on child molestation charges, his older sister Jill Duggar Dillard, who previously addressed being sexually abused by brother Josh Duggar as a child, spoke out.
Jill Duggar Dillard and her family are addressing her younger brother Joseph Duggar’s arrest.
After the 31-year-old was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior—molestation of a victim less than 12 years old—and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older, his older sister and her family shared a statement.
“We were shocked yesterday evening to learn of Jill’s brother (Joseph Duggar’s) arrest,” the family—including Jill, 34, and her husband Derick Dillard, 37—wrote in a blog post March 19. “We first learned of anything related to his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who messaged us about the recent media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020. We are shocked and heartbroken.”
After being arrested in Arkansas, Joseph is currently awaiting extradition to Florida, where he is accused of having molested a 9-year-old girl during a 2020 vacation to Panama City Beach, according to multiple law enforcement departments.
While addressing Joseph’s alleged wrongdoing, the family statement went on to emphasize they “strongly condemn abuse.”
“We support the rule of law and hope that justice will be achieved,” their post continued. “Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family. We pray God gives her strength, comfort and hope, and that she is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead.”
To conclude, Jill and Derick—who share three children—addressed Joseph’s own family, including his wife Kendra Caldwell Duggar and their four young kids. (Joseph and Kendra have confirmed the arrival of three children but have remained out of the public eye since 2021.)
“We love our sister-in-law, Kendra, and our four nieces and nephews and pray that they feel loved and supported during this time,” the Dillard family continued, “as we cannot imagine the indescribable pain they feel as they process and grieve everything.”
