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Last week saw Joseph Duggar arrested, followed almost immediately by his wife Kendra’s arrest.
Amy Duggar hasn’t just put out one statement on the topic.
She’s put out multiple statements — having to walk back things like sympathy for Kendra.
Like the rest of us, Amy’s learning about things from the news.
She’s getting updates along with the rest of us
On Thursday, March 19, Amy reacted to the arrest of her cousin Joseph’s arrest by showering Kendra with support.
“Recognizing that we do not yet know the full picture,” she said in a diplomatic statement, “I am also praying for Joseph’s wife, Kendra.”
Amy was thinking of her cousin-in-law “as she begins to process this, and for the protection of their children.”
She added: “I’m praying for eyes to be opened and above all, I pray that justice will be served to the fullest.”
Just one day later, and she had no choice but to update her thinking on the matter.
On Friday, March 20, Amy shared an emotional update.
Kendra had been arrested, facing charges of second degree false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a minor. Joseph also received those charges in addition to those he faces in Florida.
As we reported, Kendra’s arrest stemmed from the search that investigators conducted in light of Joseph’s charges.
Inside, they apparently found alarming evidence about the children’s welfare, including that the children’s doors all lock from the outside — like cells.
It took Amy some time to gather information (which she was not receiving any faster than the rest of us) and amend her previous declaration of support.
‘I cannot wrap my head around that’
On Saturday, March 21, Amy spoke to TMZ to share a bit of an update.
“I’m learning just like everyone else and looking through any kind of article that I can find, trying to get answers,” she explained. “Because obviously this is [heartbreaking].”
Amy emphasized: “This is really, really hard on everybody. … It’s not just about the people who are inside this bubble, that believe this certain system.”
She explained: “It’s people who loved them. I loved Joe. I loved Kendra. There are so many people who are just wanting this to be not so serious.”
Amy emphasized her support for the now-14-year-old girl who spoke up about Joseph’s alleged sexual abuse of her when she was 9 years old. The child “should have been safe, should have been loved.”
“My heart cannot wrap around that,” she confessed. “The person that I thought I knew is apparently not the person he is today.”
Amy affirmed: “I will hold him accountable and I want justice to be served to the fullest.”
When it came to Kendra’s arrest, she commented: “I think that was a plot twist that no one saw coming.”
“When I gave that [first] statement … that was just the information I was given at the time and thought to be true,” Amy admitted.
She added: “Now that the information has changed and there’s more that is coming out and there’s a lot of question marks right now.”
‘That is where my heart lies’
As for her initial declaration of support, Amy isn’t ready to throw it away. Just to revise it a little.
“I’m just going to steer that statement towards the kids,” she shared, “because that’s what matters right now.”
Amy prioritized: “The kids’ safety, the victim and her family, and the four children that were in [Joseph and Kendra’s] home.”
She reiterated: “That is where my heart lies. I’m just going to lay there.”
Our thoughts, too, are with the safety of the children — the fourteen-year-old and also Joseph and Kendra’s four children. And, for that matter, plenty of other Duggar kids whose homes weren’t checked by investigators.
