[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Jinger Duggar and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, are speaking out about the arrests of her brother and sister-in-law, Joseph and Kendra Duggar.
As we reported, the 19 Kids and Counting alum was arrested last week for allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl during a vacation in Florida back in 2020. Joseph then got slapped with more charges, and his wife got arrested in Arkansas. They both are facing four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the second degree and four counts of false imprisonment in the second degree.
Related: Michelle Seen Picking Up Kendra From Jail In Car With Possible Bullet Holes!
A source claimed to Us Weekly over the weekend that Kendra’s charges had nothing to do with the allegations against Joseph. However, per the insider, they are the result of a home investigation conducted since they have four minor children after his arrest — and what they allegedly found is concerning.
When law enforcement showed up at their house to do a home study in light of his charges, they allegedly discovered that the couple “had two rooms where the lock of the doorknob was on the outside instead of inside,” which is “evidence that she wrongly detains her kids.” Another insider close to the investigation told People that the locks were found on the “doors of rooms where the children would be.”
How horrifying…
Now, Jinger and Jeremy are addressing everything on a new episode of their eponymous podcast on Wednesday. She started by expressing how she has felt a lot of “pain and heartbreak” over the past week over the situation:
“I mean, it has been such a long week. It’s been one of those weeks that feels like years. And I did not think my heart could break like it has this week. The pain and heartbreak that we’ve had over this and just thinking of how it’s affected so many, yeah, it’s just unthinkable. So hard and painful on many levels.”
For his part, Jeremy shared that the news was “devastating to hear.” The pair even were “taking a bit of space this week” to process what happened. He added:
“Thinking about the victim who was brave enough to share her story has been heartbreaking. Just the effect on that young person’s life is unimaginable. And then to see the ripple effect of that horrific crime across the board … I think that’s been for me, the forefront of my mind is just thinking [about] the horror of a crime like that affecting so many for so many years. It’s devastating to think about.”
Jeremy said he and Jinger are “praying for the victim” and “for all of those affected.” As you know, the Duggar family is no stranger to scandal. Their other brother, Josh Duggar, admitted to molesting multiple girls years ago, including some of his younger sisters. He was later found guilty of possession of child pornography and is in prison until August 2032. Despite going through all that, Jinger explained that the allegations against Joseph and Kendra rocked her:
“I don’t even have words. You can’t be prepared for news like this. Even though we’ve experienced something very similar before with one of my other siblings who made unthinkable choices and decisions that have affected all of us. And yet, the pain and hurt that’s caused to us … it’s hard to know what to do sometimes, moving forward. You just feel the weight of it.”
Oof. We continue to keep the victim and her family in our thoughts. Watch the podcast (below):
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via Jinger & Jeremy Vuolo/YouTube, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office]
