Jana Duggar Is 'Deeply Saddened and Heartbroken' Over Brother Joseph's Shocking Arrest on Child Molestation Charges

Reality TV star Jana Duggar Wissmann released a statement expressing that she is "deeply saddened and heartbroken" by the child molestation charges against her younger brother, Joseph Duggar.

In a post shared to her Instagram Stories, Jana addressed the situation on behalf of herself and her husband, Stephen Wissmann.

She emphasized that the news "came as a shock" and that the family, stars of the now-defunct TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, had no knowledge of the allegations before they became public.

“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the situation involving my brother, Joseph,” Jana wrote. “This news came as a shock to us, and we had no prior knowledge before it became public.”

“Our hearts are with the child who has been harmed — this is a grievous and unacceptable wrong,” she continued. “We continue to pray for the victim and for justice to be carried out.”

Joseph, 31, was arrested on March 18 and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving the molestation of a child under 12.

The incident reportedly occurred in 2020 during a family vacation in Panama City Beach, Fla. The victim, who was 9 years old at the time, is now 14.

Joseph has pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released on a $600,000 bond. As a condition of his release, he is barred from having unsupervised contact with any minors, including his own children.

Separately, Joseph and his wife, Kendra Duggar, are facing Arkansas charges for four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment.

Jana's statement follows similar sentiments from other siblings: Jinger Duggar Vuolo shared that she "did not think [her] heart could break like it has this week;” Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and said she has been "a wreck" while processing the news; Jill Duggar Dillard stated she and her husband strongly condemn abuse and were "shocked and heartbroken;” and Jason Duggar described the actions as “vile” and “unthinkable.”

The family matriarch and patriarch, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, expressed their support and prayers in their statement about the arrest, saying they were “heartbroken over the entire situation” and are “praying for the victim” while “loving their family and helping Kendra [Joseph's wife] and her children during this difficult time.”

A private email from Jim Bob to Joseph, while he was in jail, was reportedly revealed through FOIA documents. Joseph faced "major consequences for several years to come" and was advised to accept the situation.

"You have made some terrible decisions, but God has already forgiven you if you have asked Him,” Jim Bob wrote.