Content Warning: This story discusses child sexual abuse.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are once again facing a parent's worst nightmare. Less than two weeks after their son, Joseph Duggar, was arrested for allegedly molesting a child, a spokesperson for the 19 Kids and Counting alumni has shared a statement as they navigate this difficult time alongside Joseph's wife, Kendra Duggar, and their four children.
"Jim Bob and Michelle are heartbroken over this entire situation," a spokesperson for the Duggar family told Us Weekly. "Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time. They are praying for the victim and ask for privacy, appreciating the kind words and prayers offered by so many."
E! News has reached out to representatives for the Duggars for additional comment but has not yet received a response.
Joseph, 31, was arrested in Arkansas on March 18 for lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor after allegedly molesting a then-9-year-old girl during a Florida family vacation in 2020. The girl, now 14, came forward to police about past sexual abuse and "disclosed several incidents" allegedly involving the TLC star, according to Florida's Bay County Sheriff's Office.
"The victim reported Duggar repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap," the department said in a statement. "As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket. During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim's underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs."
He was awaiting extradition to Florida, but as of March 27, the Washington County Sheriff's Office told People that he was no longer in their jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Kendra was arrested and released on March 20 and charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree, according to jail records viewed by E! News. The Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas said in a press release that Joseph is also facing these charges. The 27-year-old is due in court on April 29.
Since the shocking arrests, many of Joseph's family members have spoken out denouncing the former reality star.
"I did not think my heart could break like it has this week," his sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo said on the March 25 episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast. "The pain and heartbreak that we've had over this and just thinking of how it's affected so many. It's just unthinkable. It's so hard and painful on many levels."
Jill Duggar Dillard shared that she and her husband Derick Dillard were "shocked" and "heartbroken" by the news, which comes nearly five years after her oldest brother Josh Duugar was sentenced to 12 years in prison for child pornography.
"We support the rule of law and hope that justice will be achieved," they wrote in a March 19 blog post. "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 is able to get all the help and support she needs and deserves in the days ahead."
