Very sad news đ Joy-Anna Duggar drops heartbreaking update about Joseph
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NEED TO KNOW
- Joy-Anna Duggar has spoken out in the wake of her brother Joseph Duggar’s arrest on child molestation charges
- In a statement on her Instagram Stories, she said she’s “been a wreck this week and [is] taking time to process” after Joseph was arrested on March 18
- Days after Joseph’s arrest, his wife, Kendra Duggar, was arrested, too, though a family spokesperson said that is unrelated to the molestation charges
Joy-Anna Duggar is the latest of the Duggar family to speak out following her brother Joseph’s arrest.
Joseph, 31, was arrested on March 18 and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older, per the Florida’s Bay County Sheriff’s Office. He allegedly confessed to repeatedly molesting a 9-year-old girl in a phone call with the child’s father and a detective with the local police department, according to an affidavit filed by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and obtained by PEOPLE.
On Thursday, March 26, Joy-Anna, 28, shared a statement on her Instagram Stories, writing, “What has come out about my brother is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing.”
“My heart is with the victim, and I am grieved by the pain and harm caused. I have been a wreck this week and am taking time to process,” she said. “I have a few pre-filmed commitments that I have to post, but I will be taking some much-needed time with my family. Thank you for your prayers.”
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Joseph is also facing additional criminal charges in Arkansas, and a source close to the investigation told PEOPLE the latest charges are unrelated to those in Florida.
His wife, Kendra, was also arrested and charged in Arkansas. A spokesperson for the family told PEOPLE the charges filed against Kendra, 27, are “totally unrelated” to the felony charges her husband is expected to face in Florida.
“Sheâs not suspected or accused of participating in his alleged crime,” the spokesperson said. She and Joseph both face four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE.
Joy-Anna’s statement on her brother’s arrest came after several of her siblings also spoke out.
Jill Duggar Dillard addressed the charges in a post on her family blog and said they are “shocked and heartbrokenâ by the news and “strongly condemn abuse.”
Jinger Duggar and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, released a short episode of their podcast, Jinger & Jeremy, on Wednesday, March 25 to address the arrest.
“I did not think my heart could break like it has this week,” Jinger said. “The pain and heartbreak that weâve had over this and just thinking of how itâs affected so many â yeah, itâs just unthinkable. It’s so hard and painful on many levels.â
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“My first thoughts are with the victim, a child who deserved to be safe, protected and surrounded by people she could trust,” she said. “The courage it took for her to come forward, especially after years of carrying something so heavy, cannot be overstated. That bravery deserves to be honored above all else.”
