Jill Duggarhis family is a source of relief after his brother Joseph Duggar arrested for sexual misconduct involving a child.
“I’m so grateful for the extra family time at the beach during spring break,” Jill, 34, wrote on Instagram on Saturday, March 28, sharing pictures with the husband Derick Dillard and their three sons. “God knew that this week would be exactly what we needed when we planned it months ago.”
Jill and Dillard, 37, had previously planned to take their children to Orange Beach, Alabama Arrest of Joseph March 18 in Arkansas on charges of disorderly conduct and disorderly conduct following allegations of child molestation in 2020. The victim, who was 9 years old at the time and is now 14 years old, told police that Joseph “eventually apologized for his actions” before “the incident ended.”
Joseph has pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting extradition to Florida, where the alleged assault took place.
Us Weekly confirmed two days later that Joseph too facing four charges endangering the welfare of a minor, second degree, and four counts of false imprisonment. Joseph’s wife, Kendra Duggarhe was arrested on similar charges and released on bond within hours. (Joseph and Kendra, 27, have been married since 2017 and share four children.)
“Thank you for the love and prayers during this difficult time of grief and continued repair,” Jill added in her Saturday post, continuing to quote the Bible verse from the book of Lamentations. ” ‘Jehovah is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I trust in him.’ “
Jill at first break his silence on Joseph’s arrest on March 19.
“We were shocked yesterday evening to hear about Jill’s brother [Joseph Duggar’s] arrest,” Jill and Dillard wrote in a joint statement. “We first heard about anything related to his charges yesterday via a text message from a friend about the recent media reports of Joseph’s arrest and his plea to sexually assaulting a young woman in 2020. We are shocked and saddened.”
They went on to say, “We strongly condemn the abuse. We support the law and hope that justice will be served. Our hearts go out to the innocent child who was victimized by this unspeakable crime and his family. We pray that God will give him strength, comfort and hope, and that he will be able to get all the help and support he needs and deserves in the days ahead.”
Jill and Dillard also offered Kendra and her children support during this situation.
“We love our bride, Kendra, and our four nieces and nephews and pray that they feel loved and supported during this time,” Jill’s statement concluded. We cannot imagine the indescribable pain they are feeling as they process and grieve everything.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is being abused by children, call or text the Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
