Joy-Anna Duggar spoke out about her brother Josep Duggar’s “deeply disturbing” child molestation arrest, but his brother Jeremiah Duggar ignored the scandal with a comeback on social media.
The 28-year-old influencer said on her Instagram Story on Thursday that “what has come out publicly about[her brother]is heartbreaking and extremely disturbing.”
“My heart is with the victims and they grieve the pain and harm caused,” Joyanna continued. “It’s been bad this week and it’s taking a while to deal with it.”
The “Counting On” alum revealed that he plans to take “much-needed time” with his family away from social media in light of the current situation, and revealed that he has “some pre-filmed commitments” to post.
“Thank you for your prayers,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah was all smiles on the same day as he posted an Instagram merry-go-round celebrating his and wife Hannah Duggar’s fourth wedding anniversary.
“It’s officially been 4 years since we got married,” the 27-year-old wrote in a lengthy caption. “My love for you is deeper than ever.
“You are the most amazing wife and I am so grateful that our daughters can look up to you as the ultimate role model in life,” he added. “Hannah, happy 4th anniversary!”
In particular, Jeremiah restricted comments on uploads.
More than a week has passed since Joseph was arrested on March 18th and booked into the Washington County Jail in Arkansas.
He reportedly confessed to “multiple incidents of sexual abuse” in a phone call with the alleged victim’s father the previous day.
The “19 Kids and Counting” alum will ultimately be extradited to Bay County, Florida, as the alleged sexual abuse occurred during a 2020 trip to Florida.
His wife, Kendra Caldwell, was arrested March 20 and charged with four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment after police searched her home and found suspicious locks.
Joseph was charged with similar charges in addition to the original charges of lewd and lascivious conduct with a victim under the age of 12 and lewd and lascivious conduct with a person over the age of 18.
The couple have son Garrett, 7, and daughters Addison, 6, and Brooklyn Praise, 5, as well as a fourth child whose name has not yet been revealed.
Sordid details of Joseph’s alleged sexual abuse were revealed in a forensic interview with the teenage victim, who was nine years old at the time.
Joseph, now 14, claimed that as he covered them both with a blanket and touched her thighs, his hand “grazed her vagina outside of her underwear,” according to a copy of the affidavit obtained by Page Six.
The boy also claimed that Joseph allegedly asked her to sit on his lap multiple times and later apologized.
While many of Joseph’s relatives publicly condemned him, Joseph’s brother Josh Duggar, who is currently in prison for receiving and possessing child sexual abuse materials, defended Joseph and denounced the “false charges.”
