Joseph Duggar, former ‘19 Kids and Counting’ star, accused of molesting 9-year-old girl during vacation; faces serious charges; chilling details inside

Joseph Duggar, former 19 Kids and Counting star, has been charged after allegedly molesting a 9-year-old girl while vacationing in 2020, the Bay County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. He was 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,” the sheriff's office said in a press release.

The 31-year-old was arrested years after his brother Josh became entangled in ongoing legal issues. In 2015, Josh, now 38, reportedly confessed to molesting multiple young girls, including sisters Jill (Duggar) Dillard and Jessa (Duggar) Seewald, as a teenager, according to PEOPLE.

Joseph, the former TLC star, is now awaiting extradition to Bay County to face the charges. He was booked into the Washington County, Arkansas, jail on March 18 at 3:59 p.m. local time, PEOPLE can confirm. The online news platform also confirmed that he was in police custody, but an official extradition timeline has not been released.


The charges leveled against Joseph were linked to incidents that took place in 2020. He was charged in connection with a child sexual abuse case involving a then nine-year-old girl who was on vacation with her family in Panama City Beach, Florida, that year.

According to the Bay County Sheriff's Office’s press release, the details pertaining to the shocking case came to light on March 18, 2026, when “investigators were contacted by a detective with the Tontitown Police Department regarding a report of past sexual abuse.”

“The 14-year-old victim participated in a forensic interview, where she disclosed several incidents involving Duggar that occurred during a family vacation in Panama City Beach when she was 9 years old," the release further stated.

The incidents occurred in 2020 while the family was staying at a residence on Danny Drive, where the victim reported that Joseph repeatedly asked her to sit on his lap, the sheriff’s office stated, citing the details of the investigation.

“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,” the Bay County Sheriff's Office’s press release said.

"The victim stated Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and the incidents stopped after the apology," Bay County Sheriff's Office said.