Before Joseph Duggar was arrested on child molestation charges, he reportedly acted out of character towards his family.
“Joe and[wife]Kendra have seemed estranged from their entire family in recent weeks,” a Duggar family source told The Sun on Friday.
“Everyone is in disbelief,” the source added. “What happened to Josh a few years ago is a very sensitive topic and they can’t imagine going through it again. It’s been very difficult for the family.”
Joseph, 31, was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a victim under the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious acts with a victim over the age of 18.
The former “Counting On” star is currently being held at the Washington County Jail in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and has been extradited to Bay County, Florida.
Her brother Josh, 38, has also been accused of sexually abusing minors, including his sisters Jill and Jessa Duggar, in the early 2000s, an incident that came to light in 2015.
In December 2021, Josh was found guilty of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison.
According to The Sun, Jinger and the other Duggar siblings, including her husband Jeremy Vuolo, are focused on keeping their children safe following Joseph’s arrest.
“They were very close to Joe and Kendra, but they haven’t talked much over the past year, only at family gatherings,” a source said of the Vuolos.
The source also said that Jinger, Jeremy and Jessa “first found out about this along with everyone else when the news came out.”
Jill, 34, was the first Duggar sibling to speak out about Joseph’s arrest, writing Thursday in a joint blog post with husband Derick Dillard that she was “shocked” by the news.
“We first learned about the charges yesterday after a friend sent us a message about recent media coverage of Joseph’s arrest and confession to allegedly sexually abusing young boys and girls in 2020,” the couple said, stressing that they “strongly condemn abuse.”
They also gave “love” to Joseph’s wife, Kendra, 27, and their four children.
Josh also reacted to Joseph’s arrest in a statement from his lawyer, saying the convicted sex offender was “deeply saddened” by the charges against his brother.
The lawyer also said that Josh “lives with the painful reality of how a false accusation can destroy a life.”
Joseph was accused by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in 2020 of sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl in Florida.
The now 14-year-old claimed Joseph asked her to sit next to him on the couch before covering her with a blanket and touching her private parts. Joseph also allegedly rubbed his hand on her thigh.
Officials said Joseph confessed to the crime when he met with the victim’s father on Tuesday.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call our Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
