Jill Duggar Dillard is finally breaking her silence since her brother, Joseph Duggar, was arrested. On Wednesday, March 18th, Joseph was arrested and charged with Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor. In the late evening hours of Thursday, March 19th, Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, released a statement on their website in response to the arrest.
"We were shocked and heartbroken yesterday evening to learn of Jill's brother's (Joseph Duggar's) arrest," the statement began. "We first learned of his charges yesterday via a text from a friend who informed us about the recent media reports of Joseph's arrest and his alleged confession to molesting a juvenile female in 2020. We strongly condemn abuse and support the rule of law, hoping that justice will be achieved."
The statement continued, "Our hearts go out to the innocent juvenile victim of this unspeakable crime and her family. We pray that God gives her strength, comfort, and hope, and that she receives all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead."
The statement concluded, "We love our sister-in-law, Kendra, and our four nieces and nephews and pray that they feel loved and supported during this time as we cannot imagine the indescribable pain they must be feeling as they process and grieve everything."
According to the Bay County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, investigators were contacted on March 18th by a police detective in Tontitown, Arkansas—where the Duggar family resides—about a report of past sexual abuse. During a forensic interview, the 14-year-old victim disclosed incidents involving Duggar during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was 9 years old.
The victim reported that Duggar "repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap, sit beside him on a couch, and cover them with a blanket." Duggar then allegedly made inappropriate contact with the victim and rubbed his hands on her thighs. The victim said that Duggar eventually apologized, and the alleged misconduct stopped after the apology.
Investigators discovered that the victim's father confronted Duggar about these incidents on March 17th, 2026. Duggar admitted his actions to the victim's father and to Tontitown Detectives. Duggar was arrested out of state and faces charges of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior, including Molestation of a victim under 12 and conduct by a person 18 or older. He is currently awaiting extradition to Bay County.
This isn't the first arrest for the Duggar family either. Duggar's older brother, Josh Duggar, was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material in 2021 and sentenced to over 12 years in prison. The Dillards condemned Josh's actions after his conviction as well.
