- Joseph Duggar was arrested with child sex abuse charges on Wednesday, March 18
- The alleged abuse involved a 9-year-old girl in Panama City Beach, Fla. in 2020
- Nearly a year after the alleged abuse, Joseph and his wife, Kendra Duggar, stopped posting photos to their Instagram
Former 19 Kids and Counting star Joseph Duggar and his wife, Kendra, stopped posting to Instagram in November 2021, one year after he allegedly molested a 9-year-old girl.
It was announced on Wednesday, March 18, that Joseph, 31, was charged with two counts of child sex abuse, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, in connection with a 2020 incident involving a then-9-year-old girl who was on vacation with her family in Panama City Beach, Fla.
Months after the alleged abuse, the couple announced on their Instagram account (@littleduggarfamily) that they welcomed their third child, Brooklyn Praise Duggar. The February 2021 birth of their second daughter was followed by a series of Instagram posts documenting their family of five. The family posted images of their three children, son Garrett David, and daughters Addison Renee and Brooklyn, celebrating various holidays as well as their birthdays.
Their final post was on Nov. 3, 2021, in honor of Addison’s second birthday.
The comments have remained enabled on the family’s Instagram account. In response to the allegations against Joseph, users are commenting on the final post denouncing Joseph.
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Joseph was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old, according to an arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE. He was also charged with lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older, PEOPLE confirmed with the Bay County Police Department.
The alleged sexual abuse occurred when Joseph allegedly asked the victim to sit on his lap. “As the vacation continued, he also asked her to sit next to him on a couch and covered them with a blanket. During this time, Duggar manipulated the victim’s underwear and grazed her genitals. Duggar would also continue to rub his hands on her thighs,” Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
“The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology,” Bay County Sheriff’s Office said.
The arrest was a result of the victim, now 14, participating in a forensic interview regarding a report of past sexual abuse. The victim’s father confronted Duggar about the incidents and Joseph “allegedly admitted his actions to the father and Tontitown detectives.”
The former TLC star was booked into the Washington County, Arkansas, jail on March 18 at 3:59 p.m. local time, PEOPLE can confirm. He is now awaiting extradition to Bay County to face the charges.
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If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
If you 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. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.


