A word of warning, this podcast explores graphic and disturbing stories and includes some strong language. It therefore may not be suitable for our young listeners or other folks who may find it disturbing. Hello and welcome to True Crime News the podcast covering high profile and under the radar cases from across the country every week.
I’m your host Anna Garcia. Our case this week, another member of the Duggar family that starred in that popular reality show 19 Kids and Counting has been charged with a sex crime. Joseph Duggar is accused of sexual molestation and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. Police say the abuse started when the girl was just 9 years old.
She’s now 14 and has come forward. Joseph is also charged with child endangerment in an entirely different case. He is charged with his wife Kendra on those allegations of locking their children in their rooms. Then there’s Joseph’s older brother Josh who is currently serving a prison sentence for possessing child sex abuse materials.
Josh also allegedly admitted to sexually abusing four of his sisters and one other girl, but the statute of limitations on that case ran out. So, what is really going on with the Duggars who professed this traditional family value and purity on national TV. We are recording this on Friday, March 27th of 2026. Our guest today is Dr.
Niki Aliki Jackson, a professor of criminal justice at Purdue University Northwest, a dear friend of the show, and a producer of a new true crime live event called Crime Unfiltered. Niki, welcome back to the program. Thanks. It’s always so good to see you, Anna. Always good to see you and we I’d love to talk about your new project at the end of this episode, but you know, this episode is very heavy.
It is very dark. The allegations are very serious. So, let’s get right to it here, Nikki. Our cases are out of Florida and Arkansas. Uh we’ve got two things going on here. So, we’ve got two brothers of a very large family accused of sex crimes against minors. One convicted of possessing graphic child pornography, the other accused of inappropriately touching a minor.
Is there potentially something more going on in this giant family? Not to accuse the others, but but that’s that’s already a lot going on in one family. It’s a lot. There’s a lot of people in that family as well, right? There’s a lot of folks involved here. Um I think, you know, we have to go back to the the older sibling, but we also have to understand these are two separate folks, even though they are, you know, part of the same family unit.
So, for me, I would always go back to the parents. You know, what was life like under the the the rule of these these parents? Because I think there’s probably more out there that we don’t even know about today. And maybe we’ll find out even more about the other kids. I don’t know. And I think what complicates this case tremendously is the allegations Mhm.
that the oldest brother allegedly had sexually abused four of of his sisters. So, if we look at victims and alleged um accused, we have four plus two, right? We’ve got six people Mhm. of these 19 kids at the time. It’s a that’s Well, and there was also, from my understanding, I know there was also, not just the four sisters who had been allegedly molested, but there was also another victim.
>> Child. Yes, another child. >> victims. The problem is how they handled how the family and the system handled those original allegations. Basically, they were ignored. You know, we’ll handle it within our church community. Dad is mom and forgiven Josh for what he’s done. So, at the end of the day, there was no accountability.
And that’s what the other kids saw. Pardon me? And that is very different from these new allegations. Police took this very seriously, although there is a several year gap from the time that the alleged incident happened. The child was nine, as she says, when this happened. She came forward when she was 14.
So, again, um not sure how things were handled internally here. Um and the statute of limitations on this case has not run out. So, let’s let’s let’s dive in here. We’re going to have to jump a little bit back and forth to get context for this family, but also not to confuse one case with another.
So, we are talking here about the Duggar family. They were made famous famous by the reality show 19 Kids and Counting, which aired on TLC. The show introduced the world to the everyday life and challenges of a family with 19 children. The cameras followed the family’s patriarch, Jim Bob Duggar and mother Michelle Duggar as they raised their very devout family of nine daughters and 10 sons, all with the names that began with a J.
Everyone and they dressed alike and there was a lot you know, it was to some degree it was a bit of a spectacle. I remember my son was obsessed with this show. He loved watching this show and I would sit there and you know, I’d say I didn’t know what to say. I thought they were intriguing. They were so different.
It was very different from my household. Um you know, and now you know, when I look at it with a different set of eyes, I’m like as a mother I feel bad that I, you know, supported him watching this show that appeared to be innocent at the time. Well, I don’t think you can feel bad about that. I think the country was watching the show.
I I actually have never seen an episode. So, I I I you know, I had to go in and just watch some little trailers of of the show to better understand. But one of the things that caught my attention you just mentioned was the fact that every child was named J. Something with J, which obviously is the father’s, you know, name, Jim Bob.
So, none of the kids were were given the letter M for mom, right? Or Michelle. Uh but they were all J, which it just I think it sets the the stage for what this family unit was like. Yeah. So, the show ran for 7 years. That’s an eternity in television. And the family often discussed issues about purity, modesty, and they talked about their faith a lot.
Um at the peak of their popularity, the Duggars were paid 30 to 45,000 dollars an episode and some have speculated that they were able to turn that into millions of dollars based on any kind of brand endorsements or anything else they may have had. So, you know, this was a money maker for them without question and it was a money maker for TLC.
The show was canceled in 2015 when In Touch magazine reported that the eldest son, Josh Duggar, had allegedly sexually abused five girls, including four sisters. Okay, now we’re going to get to the details of that, but first we really want to talk about our current case because then we’ll tie everything up.
That’s just, you know, a little bit of background to tell you, “Okay, that’s why we’re focusing in on this.” It doesn’t seem to be just based on allegations a one-time thing here, right? Clearly. Yeah. So, um currently Joseph and his wife, Kendra, they actually got married on television. Okay? During the series, and they were part of a spin-off show when the original show was canceled.
They were part of a show called Counting On. Okay, so this is a I mean, one show begets another show. Okay, back to our current case. 31-year-old Joseph Duggar is facing a felony charge of child molestation in Florida. Meanwhile, he and his wife, Kendra Duggar, who is 27 years old, she’s been charged in Arkansas.
And so is he. So, the couple is charged in Arkansas with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment. Last week, on March 19th, 2026, authorities in Arkansas arrested Joseph on the Florida charge. And he was then charged with molestation of a victim under 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior by a person 18 or older.
Both charges are felonies in Florida and sentencing is serious here. It could be anywhere from 25 years to life. This is serious. Oh, I got upset even talking about it when I think of this 9-year-old girl. I realize these are allegations and everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty on all of these charges. I get that. I get that.
I get that. But police are taking this girl very seriously and they’re and that’s very important. And then there is another factor in here Nikki that that really confuses me because there’s an alleged confession by Joseph Duggar. Really confusing the whole thing, right? Yeah, I think I think he confessed twice.
I think he originally confessed to the alleged victim’s father and then to the police. Right, while the police were on the phone listening. Yeah, I don’t know how the confession went down, but from you know you know the work I do, I work with people who’ve been wrongfully convicted, so I’m always very critical and really analyzing confessions.
This one seems pretty straightforward to me. Yes, it does, especially when you think of the police say they were listening in. Yeah. >> And the conversation was between the father of the girl and Joseph. Right. So he didn’t know the police were on the line listening. Oh, I see. Okay. Well, but think back to even the father of the the the victim, the alleged victim.
You know, he Joseph confesses to him and I guess he’s thinking that it’s going to go down the way it’s always gone down where you know, he’s going to get this forgiveness because that’s a big piece of their world and then he’s not going to be held accountable. He apologizes to the girl. That’s what the reports are.
He apologizes to the girl. Wow, I so I didn’t even know that. So he had some contact with her after. So he apologizes and he’s probably thinking in his mind, we’re done. You know, I I I’m forgiven. I don’t know if the father of the victims forgiven him or not forgiven him. I don’t know what the status of this of this victim is, but at the end of the day I would I would believe that Joseph is, you know, under this premise that, you know what? My father forgave my brother for molesting my four sisters and another victim and nothing happened. So, you know what?
This is one victim compared to the four. So maybe it’s not as big of a deal even though you and I understand it’s a huge deal. Massive. Massive. And massive. We’re talking about >> so glad that the police and the prosecutors are taking this very seriously. This young victim deserves justice. Absolutely. Absolutely.
So according to authorities, the charges came about after sheriff’s deputies in Florida interviewed the 14-year-old victim. They did a forensic interview who said that Joseph had molested her on multiple occasions during a family trip to Panama City Beach. The alleged abuse occurred when the victim was just 9 years old.
At the time of the alleged abuse, Joseph was 25 years old. Already a father of two, and his wife Kendra was pregnant with their third child. According to the victim, Joseph was one of the guests on this family trip. People magazine reports that the victim told police it started with Joseph asking the child to sit on his lap numerous times and then would cradle her in his arms.
And police say that’s really the beginning of grooming. It is absolutely. He’s building this trust. It It seems very innocent. I’m just so glad this young girl spoke out. I’m just so glad. And I know folks have, you know, been on the internet asking what took so long. Um and I think people don’t understand how difficult it is for a victim, particularly a 9-year-old child, to come forward.
And oftentimes when they’re children, they don’t even know recognize that it was abusive. No, she said that she was confused. Yes. And uncomfortable at the time. I do not think it at all surprising that it took until now, you know, when she’s going through puberty and all of a sudden she’s understanding parts of her body in a way that a 9-year-old has no concept of. No, absolutely.
And I mean, a 9-year-old would be very confused. You not even understanding what was happening at that time. I would I would uh suggest. And they also, you know, there’s also this sense of shame and guilt and fear, you know? I mean, if this is somebody who is very close to the family, they’re really afraid to out them because they’re afraid of, you know, separating the the the families also.
So, there’s it’s very understandable as to why it took this young girl 5 years to to speak up and I’m just grateful that she did. And think about if all of this is true, how confusing it is, it starts with playing, right? It starts with playing and then when it moves to the next level, allegedly, is this still playing? Is this still a game? Do you do you see No, in her eyes why she would be confused? She’s 9 years old, people. She’s 9 years old.
Let us let’s let’s cut a break here when it comes to the victim, especially when we’re dealing with children. They they don’t know a lot of things. We Actually, I pray to God that most 9-year-olds don’t. I mean, you have to warn them about dangers. But you you you see what I’m saying. I’m And you know, a question I have is and I’m not here to blame the parents whatsoever, but I From my understanding, the young girl was like under a blanket or something.
>> we’re getting to the Now we’re getting That was Yeah, I wanted to first set up the grooming part. >> Okay. >> And why she could have been confused if it all starts very apparently innocently with cradling, hugging, jumping on the lap, you know, physical touch has been established Right. >> between this adult man and this 9-year-old girl.
So, that’s So, that’s how police say everything started. Now, according to the girl, things became more serious when she and Joseph sat side by side on the sofa and he allegedly covered the two of them with a blanket. He allegedly touched her genitals under the blanket. Again, she was confused, uncomfortable, embarrassed. I just There’s a lot going on here.
>> Yeah. There’s a lot going on here, and I would imagine it could be even more jarring for a child if this is happening while others could potentially be in the room. Because as a as a child, you’re sitting there and you’re like, “Well, if this were bad, it wouldn’t be happening in front of so-and-so and so-and-so.
” If that’s the case, I don’t know, but again, let’s give the 9-year-old That’s a great point. That’s a really good point. Um and I hadn’t even thought of that, Anna, so thank you for raising that, but that would make a whole lot of sense that, you know, if there are adults present in this house, and he can’t be doing something bad to me if if there’s people here, right? Are my protectors, my parents are around here.
So, you know, maybe I’m not understanding and misunderstanding what is happening, and maybe it is a game, and maybe we are playing. But where were the adults? Where were the adults? Where were the adults? Exactly. Exactly. So, allegedly, the victim tells her father what happened, and he confronts Joseph. Yes. He claims that Joseph admits to it.
And People magazine reports that Joseph apologized to the girl. So, what we do not know is the time frame of when that took place. And then at what point, you know, I don’t know why everyone was okay with it. Yeah, and don’t know how the police I at least I don’t know how the police were finally notified. >> Right, exactly.
I’m again, I’m just thinking as she gets a little older and she starts figuring things out, she realizes that this is worse than what she thought had happened to her. So, in order to build a case, police asked the father to call Joseph again about the allegations and try and get him to confess again. So, they’re basically saying, “Look, we believe the girl, we’re taking her seriously.
We are believing you, but you’re saying that he said that, so they know that’s going to be hearsay in court and it’s just not going to be admissible. So, if you want a solid case and if you of what you’re telling the police is true that he’s already confessed and apologized to you, maybe he’ll do it again, right?” Entirely possible, meaning that he would apologize again.
Okay, so he calls again and this time the police are listening in. According to police, they claim that Joseph said he touched the victim over her clothes, which is still a sexual assault here, and admitted his intentions were not pure. What do you do with that, Dr. Jackson? Well, you contact the police is what you do with that.
I mean, that’s the first thing you do is contact the police. It’s hard pressed I mean, I’m a mother. I’m a mother. I have a daughter. I can’t imagine somebody calling my husband and telling my husband that, you know, I that he apologizes for for harming my daughter. My husband would not do very well with that. Um, but where was the mother in all of this? We’ve heard about the father.
Um, you know, that the father the girl told the dad, “Where is mom?” I don’t know. We don’t know the answer to that question. >> as to where mom is in this. And were these people also part of this this church that they belonged to? You know, I think there’s just so many unanswered questions that we definitely you know, we need to know more. Right.
And I think this will all come out as the case proceeds. What has been already shared is quite a bit. Okay. Is quite a bit. And if there is and I I just want to touch on this one more time because I know you work so hard on exoneration cases and the wrongly accused and confessions are such a big part as you said.
If police have this recording Mhm. of the father asking um Joseph this question and he allegedly answers in the manner of which they claim that he admits to it. Is that a confession? Well, I don’t know what the verbage is, but if he says yes, I did this and I’m sorry, I would yes, that’s that’s that implicates him in this crime.
And I’m not sure Confessions and implications are very different, but he is implicating himself into this crime and at the end of the day, he really is confessing to what he did. Now, I think an attorney is going to come forward eventually and say that the recording itself is problematic. I think that’s where the defense attorney is going to go.
That they’re not going to want that recording inadmissible. I don’t I think that’s where it’s going to land um when it goes to to trial, if it goes to trial. Right, because if this recording is not admissible, That’s right. the case becomes so much weaker. Correct. Yeah. Correct. And I I think that’s going to be um, any good defense attorney is going to try to pounce on that recording.
Rightfully, wrongfully, that’s what they’re going to do. Right. Right. But you know, police do a lot of these pretext calls themselves where they get people involved um, with a case that they’re investigating and they try and get them to either wear some kind of recording device or make a phone call that they’re listening in on and recording in order to get more of the evidence against them.
So, it is something that’s done a lot Yes. >> in investigations by the authorities. And honestly, I mean, I think this was a brilliant move. It’s going to be hard pressed. I think it’s going to be hard pressed, but I think that’s going to be you know, I was really trying to figure out what is going to be the angle for the defense attorney.
So, I think the only thing that in well, one thing the attorney’s going to have to do is say, “We can’t have any of those statements admissible.” And you know, the other piece is when you go to trial, if it goes to trial, which it it will unless he, you know, takes some plea agreement, you know, you’ve got to look at this How are you going to find a jury that hasn’t heard of this family? And you’re going to have to find a jury that doesn’t know about his brother because you can’t bring the sins of the brother into this trial, right? So, it’s going
to this this is a very complicated case, even though it seems so straightforward, because of the fact that they have these statements made by by him. That said, when it goes to trial, there’s going to be some issues raised. Yeah. And it’s going to be hard to find a a really impartial jury, I think. And it’s very damning.
His confession, his alleged confession, is very damning. It’s his own words. No one was forcing him to say anything. Well, he corroborated what the victim said. Yes, exactly. >> end of the day, that’s it. And and it verified, you know, it authenticated her her allegations. And I think that’s really important. And I think prosecutor, you know, will will, you know, will will be able to navigate around whatever the defense’s claims will be with the recording. Yeah.
So, police in Florida, when they hear what they believe is enough evidence, they immediately contact the authorities in Arkansas. They waste no time in issuing an arrest warrant here. It’s it’s like instantaneous how quickly they they moved on this. I appreciate authorities taking the allegations of a um of a child uh of you know, accusing someone of doing something so serious, I appreciate the authorities taking this seriously and not looking away because they’re a famous family.
That’s my little bit here. Okay. >> it’s amazing. I think it’s fantastic that you know, no one is above the law. And um just because you had some successful TV show does not make you exempt from, you know, from following the law. Particularly this type of uh of allegation. Mhm. The Washington County Sheriff’s Department in Arkansas released a video of Joseph going through the booking process.
Reason this is interesting is one, the authorities released this. They don’t always. And you see him taking, you know, things off, clothes, getting ready for his mug shot, um taking his wedding ring off because all of this is going to be cataloged and saved because he’s, you know, being held at this moment because of another state wanting him.
But apparently during the conversation with the deputy who is, you know, processing him, the deputy asks Joseph Duggar, “Have you ever been in a facility like this?” I guess that’s kind of a weird question. It was such a weird question. Such a weird question. Mhm. But I don’t know, maybe it’s like what you say to people if you think that they’re nervous.
I I have no idea. I have no idea. It’s just an interesting question, okay? But the answer is equally interesting. Yeah, it was peculiar. Right? Yeah, it was very peculiar. Uh-huh. He says, um “I have not been in a facility on this side.” But then he explains that his brother is doing hard time, so he’s been on the other side visiting.
You know, those words like hard time and everything else, somehow you don’t expect to hear these words, you know, from someone coming from a, you know, fairy tale family, from television, and their matching clothes. You kind of expect to hear that from a hardened criminal. Yeah, and I think his brother is up for appeal or is trying to appeal his conviction now and I imagine it’s going to be even more difficult. Right.
Yeah. Well, jury convicted him again. That’s right. All right. So, moving on here. So, this happens. But that’s not all. There’s so much going on with this family. So, Joseph formally waives his right to an extradition hearing. So, he’s going to be transported to Florida on the sex charge. Okay. Now, what else is going on here in Arkansas? Quite a bit.
Then, police announce an entirely new set of charges against Joseph and his wife Kendra. Both of them are now charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment. According to authorities, the charges are no way related to what happened in the Florida case, okay? But this is important.
Why? Because he’s facing additional criminal charges. His wife is and it all goes to what regard and the safety of children, right? We’re talking about the safety of children. People magazine, now they’re quoting an unnamed source. So, take it however you wish. People magazine quoting an unnamed source claiming to They claim that this is a family member.
The source claims that the charges of the endangering the welfare of a child and the false imprisonment likely stem from a home visit by authorities. According to the family member, Joseph and Kendra allegedly installed locks on the exterior doors of the children’s bedrooms, in essence trapping them inside.
This practice Dr. Jackson was allegedly passed down by the patriarch and matriarch of this giant family that is like 30 plus now and growing. They apparently installed locks on the exteriors of all of their children’s bedrooms, locking them up at night when they learned that oldest brother Josh had allegedly sexually abused the sisters.
What the heck is going on here? Well, that’s amazing. It’s So, think about this again. You’ve got this kid who saw that his siblings were they were all locked in this room cuz, you know, mom and dad didn’t want to give Josh access to the siblings, right? So, they they put locks on the exterior part of the door, so nobody can go in but mom and dad.
So, the son I I got to make sure I’ve got the right Joseph does the same thing that mom and dad did, right? Joseph and Kendra >> Allegedly, yes, because Allegedly, thank you. So, allegedly do the same thing that mom and dad do. But, again, recognize that nothing ever happened to Jim Bob and Michelle for doing that.
They were never arrested. Kendra and and Joseph have been arrested for allegedly putting those locks on on the doors, bedroom doors, but Jim Bob and Michelle were never arrested. Why weren’t they arrested? I’m so confused by this whole thing. I really am. I am so confused by all of this. I do not understand. You know, and what I don’t know is the timing of when the authorities went into the house, if they did go in, and I’m talking about like, it could be social services, it could be police.
We do not know because limited information has been released. >> I believe I read that it that it was DCFS who went in and saw them. >> sense. If you have an allegation that the father is currently being investigated for um alleged sexual abuse and there are other allegations within the family that this may have happened prior, do the authorities have a responsibility to the children in that house? Of course.
Right. Of course. And think about this, mom and dad in custody, and if they’re both convicted Well, she’s out on bond now. >> She’s out on bond, but and if she’s convicted, keep in mind her her charges are misdemeanors. So, not as serious as his, clearly. But if she is convicted, I mean, a misdemeanor means you can serve time up to 1 year in a correctional facility.
So, who’s going to watch the children? Who are they going to go back to this family, the you know, the Duggar family? We don’t know anything about Kendra’s family. We don’t know we’ve never heard or read much about her family. So, who’s going to take these children if they are both convicted? Oh my goodness. I know, it’s a big hot mess.
It’s a big hot mess, and there are so many victims out of this nightmare that this 9-year-old girl endured. >> This is a web because what happens in one family unit kind of affects another one here. So, now it’s time, I think, for us to go back to the original allegations against eldest brother, Josh. Okay? So, we can then put into context maybe why authorities have acted the way they have.
And why it makes us question what the heck is going on in this family? Okay? So, back in 2015, In Touch magazine reports on sexual abuse allegations against Josh Duggar. There’s a police report that goes back to 2006. This would have been before the show aired. This is all according to this reporting and this was years in the media.
But it appears that police were not informed immediately about the alleged sexual abuse. Allegedly, Josh confessed to his father Jim Bob and church leaders who kept the information quiet for months before even coming forward to police. I don’t know if it was months or it was years. This It’s a little murky for me here.
And so, before police became involved, there were multiple alleged incidents. The first reported incident allegedly happened in 2002 when Josh was then 14 years old. Mhm. Allegedly, fondled a minor while she slept. Jim Bob later told police that he disciplined his son. But the family did not alert authorities. Confusing things here and making it more complicated.
And there is one alleged victim, not a family member, but four of the five are children girls of Jim Bob and Michelle. Yeah, well, the the community, they had this compound. I mean, I didn’t see the show, but I from my understanding, there was a compound, there were different buildings on on their property, very insular.
So, you’re able to to keep everything within that community, within the church. Every you know, we don’t need to go out there. We don’t need to to to share what’s happening in our world. We’re going to handle it ourselves. And they did a very poor job of handling it. Oh my god, this is awful how they handled it. >> awful.
And Jim Bob and Michelle were aware that this happened. And and let’s just let’s just think about what’s happening in our world today. When we’ve got kids who commit these school shootings and parents know that the kid has a violent, you know, um a history or tendency. >> unstable. Mentally unstable. Whatever it is, they understand that there’s warning signs out there. There’s flags.
Yet, they go out and they purchase a gun or they allow them to have a gun, whatever. Now, courts are saying, “We’re going to hold mom and dad accountable.” I find this to be very similar. If the parents knew that their child was engaging in this type of misconduct, you know, assaulting, molesting children, they had a duty and a responsibility to report it.
And at the very least, they should have tried to find some counseling, some other resources, and they did >> they got some counseling. And you know what this reminds me of? We’re going to get into this in a second, but this is what really ticks me off here. Because you know that Luis Bolaños and I have done a lot of investigations into uh crimes against Amish women and children, where women and women in particular are like low on the totem pole.
First comes the horse, then then the farm, and then I think maybe the wife as far as how people are treated. Oh, they live such a pure innocent life. It’s like, you know, it’s the 1600s. We don’t have electricity. Yeah, and we don’t have rights. And we also don’t have rights for women. Anyway, we have done all of these investigations into how the Amish and the elders in many of the Amish churches, not all, not all, have tried to handle these situations themselves and these these so-called camps that they send alleged offenders
to and they always blame the wife that it’s the wife who wore an inappropriate thing and that is why you upset your husband. We send them both to a ridiculous, you know, I don’t know what happens there, trying to reprogram them. Look, it’s absolutely completely unacceptable. And then these Amish leaders turn to the police and they’ll say, when they’re questioned, “Oh, we handled it ourselves.
” Oh, really? I’m sorry, do you not live in the United States of America? It’s Are you your own country there? Right. And you have your own laws that you you don’t have to abide by the laws of your state. It’s it’s appalling. It’s appalling. It is. And the you know, the the family failed this young girl. The system failed this young girl.
There were so many people who failed this young girl and I hope, um, you know, I really hope I bringing attention to this that others will come forward who need to come forward. >> So, uh, remember the first alleged incident would have been 2002. We’re dealing we’re talking about Josh, the older brother, here.
So, then about 9 months later, March of 2003, Josh was accused again by multiple victims of groping them while they were asleep and sometimes when they were awake. This time, Jim Bob, again, meets with the church elders. What church is this? I know I’m going on another tangent here. I just really Okay. Meets with members of the church.
And again, no law enforcement officials are contacted, but they say that they sent Josh to a program. This is when it starts to sound like the crazy things I’ve investigated. Program allegedly consisted of hard physical work for this young man, and supposedly counseling and and um so he’s away for 4 months. Treatment with air quotes, if you’re listening, this is what I’m saying, from March to July of 2003. Okay.
Well, then. Then Michelle, mother Michelle, the only one who doesn’t have a J in front of her name, later admits to police that there really wasn’t what we would call traditional therapy or counseling that was given to the boy. What it really was Listen to this. It really was more of an unpaid building project helping a family friend remodel something in Little Rock.
At what point did they think that give this kid a shovel and a hammer and he’ll be fine. Can you imagine? I It’s just so unbelievable. She They thought that this construction a project was equivalent to to much needed therapy, intensive therapy. Not the same. Oh my goodness. >> Not even close to the same. >> close. This is This is ridiculousness.
So then according to um the family, Josh apologized to the female minors and they forgave him. This is a pattern that we also see in Amish church cases. They are the accused will be shunned and that will be the punishment because it’s very embarrassing and they will apologize and as part of the religion forgiveness is a big part of it.
Not when it’s criminal. I mean you can apologize but then that doesn’t end there is what I’m saying. >> no, there’s accountability. Thank you. There’s accountability and I think that’s what’s lost here in all of this. There was no accountability. And I don’t know what forgiveness looks like to them but >> No, and what does justice look like here? You know, I ask that question all the time. That’s why I do this podcast.
What would justice look like in this case? Well, I’m not sure I’ve seen it yet. I’m not sure I’ve seen it yet. >> seen it yet. You haven’t. So, the allegations kind of go away. Someone, this is fascinating, someone allegedly writes an email to Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in 2006 before the family was scheduled to appear warning the show about the alleged abuse. Wow.
Isn’t that something? That’s something. Something. It’s like, okay, and Oprah herself, a survivor herself, if she’s going to be true to what she preaches and her own experiences, so that’s when police become involved. Right? And they investigate Josh for multiple offenses. Now, authorities say that when they attempted to bring Josh in for questioning, Jim Bob refused and tried to hire a lawyer to represent his son.
Uh we understand at least two attorneys were like, “We’re not handling this.” But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Now, despite all of these issues, and this is the part where things are murky for me, is police end up abandoning the case due to a statute of limitations that expired later that year. You wait long enough, it goes away.
Mhm. So, was there justice there? Well, we’ll never know because it wasn’t fully investigated, right? Clearly, yeah. And so, this all of this apparently, according to In Touch that did the investigation, stayed buried. Stayed buried. So, now they’re doing their TV show, la la la, everything’s great, everyone put on your matching outfits, and we’re marching out together, single file, size order, right? And then, In Touch unearths the report and does a story in 2015, and after the report, TLC cancels the show. What a
surprise. Josh apologizes, right? Because not only is this happening publicly, but now his entire family is losing their income from this TV show. He has brought shame upon the family. Josh apologizes for having, quote, acted inexcusably regarding the alleged molestation of the five girls, again, including four of his sisters.
However, this was not the end of the Duggar family because then TLC comes up with a spin-off. So, um they get this new TV show called Counting On, and the show focused on the other children and their growing families, plus appearances from Jim Bob and Michelle. And you know, that show also was focused on strong faith and traditional values.
Um and it featured the seventh oldest, there are so many of them, Joseph. Joseph, who we have discussed about the Florida case, everyone. And his wife, Kendra. In 2017, they marry on the show. Isn’t that cute? But of course, both of them are currently charged with other problems. I think there were millions of people who watched it, from my understanding.
>> Yes, this this thing was such a money maker. This all the shows were such money makers for um TLC. Okay, so it ran for 11 seasons, 96 episodes. This is the the spin-off show. But it too would be canceled. Why? Because now there were new allegations against the oldest son, Josh. And this is what finally puts an end to the shows. Okay.
Now, April 29th, 2021, federal authorities arrest oldest son, Josh, who is also alleged to have inappropriately touched minors. He is arrested on charges of receiving and possessing child sex abuse materials. According to investigators, Josh accessed the materials on a work computer that he used at his used car dealership.
Now, this is the part when we think of broader family members and alleged who knows what when. Okay. At the time, Josh was married to Anna Duggar. They married in 2008. They shared seven children. Okay, wait a minute. Listen to this. And all of their children start with the letter M. Finally, Michelle gets one in there.
Finally, she gets something. Okay. There’s the M. She had seven kids. Um So, here’s what’s really This to me is fascinating. So, because This is what police say, because of Josh’s previous issues with pornography, Anna, the wife, apparently installs an accountability type software on the work computer. Oh.
Right? And the software is supposed to alert her if Josh is accessing this material. However, Josh came up with a workaround. Of course he did. Okay. Now, according to an agent with Homeland Security Investigations at the time, this is them saying this, the files on Josh’s computer were, quote, in the top five of the worst of the worst I’ve ever had to examine.
They were Yeah. You know that. >> Terrible. It’s terrible. It’s just >> terrible. They were terrible. Oh my goodness. You know, and it just makes me wonder. It’s like, you know, if the wife really did install this software, did she understand the the nature of the material, or did she think it was something, you know, that isn’t illegal? Do you know what I mean? This went to a level that I mean, the law enforcement even said it, that they couldn’t even deal with.
I’m sure many of them had to go through counseling after what they had had unfortunately had to witness. Oh god, yes. It was really that bad. Yeah, I’m not going to get into it, but some of it was allegedly created by a convicted sex offender and suspected murderer. Yeah. So, we’re talking extremely violent.
of the most >> just finally I mean, >> deviant. I think what they found one of the victims was an 18-month-old girl. Which is horrifying. I mean, it’s bad enough that you know, we’re we’re talking about children, but now you’ve got a 18-month-old, but anyway, it just tells us how sick and deranged Mhm. this person must be to possess that type of of uh a video footage, whatever you want to call it Oh my god, it’s It’s just so sickening.
It’s Sickening, criminal, it’s just it’s beyond. It is beyond. So, ahead of Josh’s trial, this would be on the possession of these materials. Ahead of Josh’s trial, his defense attorneys tried to keep the testimony about this alleged sexual misconduct, you know, the previous allegations that were timed out by statute of limitations.
They tried to bring keep that out of this case. Because you could make an argument that they were unrelated and that’s what the argument was, but that didn’t work. Um a Duggar family friend testified that Josh allegedly began molesting younger girls when he was 12. Remember they said 14. Mhm. And the defense then tried to convince the jury, “Okay, well, his computer was hacked.
It wasn’t him.” On December 9th of 2021, a jury convicted Josh of receiving and possessing these explicit materials. He was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months behind bars making his earliest possible release October 2nd of 2032. He will be subjected to 20 years of supervised release if he gets out of prison. Yeah, I’m not seen that happening.
Yeah. This is just This is horrendous. So then after Josh’s conviction the Duggars took a step back from public life. Okay. Right? And however, their legal troubles were not over less than 5 years later, of course, brings us back to where we are today. I guess what we’re trying to say is this brings us back to our current case.
Remember. So now we have Kendra, Kendra the wife. She’s been released on bond following her arrest while Joseph remains behind bars awaiting extradition. The two, of course, are presumed innocent. People magazine got a statement from Josh Duggar, Josh, who’s in prison on the explicit materials charges and got this statement through his attorney.
The attorney said to People magazine, quote, “Josh sympathizes with the suffering that the public spectacle of criminal accusations creates.” Quote, “He has felt the pain of false public accusation himself and he has seen how the media sensationalizes his family’s private struggles. He cannot speak to his brother’s guilt or innocence, but he can say that no one deserves to have their lowest moments broadcast for the world for the sake of clicks and online comments.
” Now that’s rich. That’s very rich. >> Because they’re the ones who did the reality show. No one put a gun to their head and said, “You have to be on TV.” So now to turn around and say, “Oh, I’m a public figure and I don’t like things that are, you know, not flattering to me being discussed. I’m like, “Really? Did you think about this?” Yeah, no, it’s it’s the irony is not lost on anyone. Oh my gosh.
It’s just extraordinary. It’s like, “Really? Of all the things you could say sitting behind bars, you you’re mad at the world because you were on a reality show, you made money, and then you’re convicted of doing horrendous things, and you don’t like the fact that people talk about it.” Right. Yeah. Well, well. There you go.
>> That’s what happens when you >> what? These this these two recent cases now that we’re currently talking about, what brings up all the stuff? Brings it all back for you, Josh. It’s all back. Back to haunt you. >> Now, sister Ginger, and that’s Ginger with a J. Ginger with a J. She said on her podcast, quote, “I didn’t think that my heart could break like it did this week.
” And her husband, Jeremy, on the podcast said that he’s thinking about the victim who has been very brave, brave enough to share her story, and how heartbreaking this is. Finally, someone saying something. But it was nice to hear Ginger with a J, you know, recognize the the bravery of this young girl to come forward. Yeah.
I mean, think about how difficult it is for a child in the real in the normal world, but when you’ve got a celebrity person out there, and you’re accusing somebody who’s, you know, famous, that’s got to be even more difficult. Yeah, I mean, there’s it’s just this is a truly complicated case. Yeah. And, you know, we are talking about it yes because they are public.
Even if they weren’t a public family, we might still discuss this case because of how complicated it is and how many possible connections there are and cause and effect of of when you have this level of violence within a family. So >> Yeah. And you I think we do have to go back and we really do have to look at the parents. Um, find out what was happening in this household where you’ve got two two sons who are charged with some pretty serious crimes.
Yeah. You know, that’s pretty that’s not bad luck, I don’t think. Yeah. Well, we will be watching this case and again, I can’t wait to hear your comments on this. It’s been a discussion in my own family about like, “Oh my god, right?” So, when you let someone into your home and it all appears so innocent, we all feel like we’ve been duped.
You know? >> Yeah. We all feel like we’ve been taken in. All right, we’ll be following this one. We do not have a comment section today. Everything’s fine, nobody panic. Um, but we will now have a little extra time here to talk to Nikki about her new project. What are you doing? All right, we’re I’m super excited.
We are bringing five headline cases five cases that you’ve probably seen on Netflix documentaries to the stage and I’m going to be hosting a show. We’re doing a Midwest tour, four cities, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee and Indianapolis and we are going to be bringing the faces behind those cases onto the stage and so we’re going to have candid I’m going to have a candid conversation with John Ramsey.
This is the 30th year anniversary of JonBenét’s murder and John is a very close friend and I really am excited that he’s going to be able to take the stage and and share really what what it’s been like to live, you know, in this nightmare for so long and what we could do to maybe change the outcome of what the investigation looked like back then.
We also have Unknown Number, the high school catfish case. I’m sure many of you have followed that case. We will have the father of the catfish victim on stage first time he’s ever spoken publicly. So really excited about having him and we’re going to have Kendra, her cousin on from Unknown Number as well. And we’ll have Denise and Aaron Quinn from American Nightmare.
They’re going to be speaking about what happened to them and really talking about the call to action to make some changes during the you know, their the interrogation and the the tunnel vision that the police had. If you’re not familiar with American Nightmare, it was Denise was accused of creating a hoax and she was dubbed the Gone Girl.
And so we’re excited to have her on the stage. We’ll also have I’m sure everybody knows Gabby Petito and you know, what happened to to Gabby. So her mother Nicole Schmidt will be on stage with us and will be talking about what could have helped save Gabby’s life and and whatever else she wants to talk about.
It’s going to be candid conversations. We also have the fifth Netflix documentary was one in 2020 called Trial 4. If you haven’t seen it, you should watch it. It’s an amazing uh, documentary and it focuses on the wrongful conviction of a young man named Sean Ellis who was wrongly convicted of killing a Boston police officer.
So, we are bringing all five of these documentaries onto the stage um, and having them tell their stories to the audience. And the audience is going to be able to have some, we’re going to have a QR code so they’re going to be able to ask some questions and we’ll be they’ll they’ll be able to answer them completely unfiltered.
That’s why we are calling this crime unfiltered. We want this to be no scripts. There’s going to be it’s just going to be candid dialogue and it is so exciting that we are going to be able to bring this into these cities and and have folks hear from these folks directly. And when is this going to happen? So, uh, June 6th is Chicago.
June 7th is Milwaukee. June 18th is Indianapolis and June 19th is in Detroit. Wow, this is really exciting. >> It is exciting and and we do have a handle. You guys always ask me, “What’s your handle?” and I never have a handle. Uh, but we have a handle. It is crime unfiltered. So, um, if you go on if you Google crime unfiltered, you’ll find us and if you’re on Instagram, it’s @crimeunfilteredtour.
So, you can, uh, you can come to show. We just started selling tickets and we really haven’t marketed the show yet. Um, but we’re going to start doing that the next week or two. So, try to get your tickets before, uh, they go they they go out. Wow, this is great. I love the idea, you know, that you’re giving a voice to the survivors here. Yeah.
The victims and the survivors and they’ll have a voice and an opportunity to say things that they need to say, want to say. Look, they’re participating because they want to. That’s right. >> Whether you would do that in their shoes, you don’t know what it is to walk in their shoes. So, I’m so appreciative anytime that survivors and victims family members have an opportunity to say what they need to say in the form that they need to say it.
I always applaud that. I always >> Yeah, and I’m really humbled that they’re trusting me to help them share their their their voices and and it truly is an honor. And I’m really excited and we know John has been and his family’s been crucified by the media. And there are still folks out there who believe that the family was involved and now you know, John’s going to be able to speak to those people directly. And I think it’s great.
It’s not going to be me speaking to to to the the the folks sitting, you know, in those seats. It’s going to be John speaking to them and I think that’s going to be really powerful. And what an opportunity for folks to be able to to hear him. Um there there’s even a VIP meet and greet so they can actually meet all of these folks um on the stage afterward and they can ask them their own questions.
We’re we’re pretty transparent. Uh this is great. I wish you much success here. It sounds wonderful. >> Thanks. I would trust you. I would trust you. You’re a very kind person. Um and this has absolutely nothing to do with anything but then on the recording of this day, it’s sweet 16 if you are a March Madness person, St.
John’s will be playing Duke today. Okay, I Do you see my Michigan stuff up there? >> Oh, you’re so funny. Yeah, so the the the Big East champ, St. John’s is the Big East champs. And I had to wear my t-shirt today. Look, I think we’re going to be pummeled by Duke, but nonetheless Yeah, and I you know, I have to say I it I I work for Purdue.
I get paid by Purdue. I do have some Purdue things up there. So, I just want I I’m I’m kind of in this situation where I win or lose either way. Purdue, Michigan, we’ll see what happens, but that’s where we’re going. Yep. Okay, good luck to everyone. You can find this episode, all your episodes, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can subscribe to our YouTube channel. That’s where you have a vibrant community. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on today’s case. You can follow us on social media everywhere at My True Crime News, super simple. You can also sign up for our newsletter at truecrimenews.com. So, until next week, this is True Crime News the Podcast.
I’m your host Anna Garcia, and as we always say now, crime never stops, and neither do we.
