After a Year of Scandal, the Duggars Announce They're Welcoming 20th Child into Their Home

Rachel Hutchins, Michelle Duggar’s niece, was always a welcome member of the Duggar family.

Despite a number of setbacks, including having a child when she was a young teen, she spent a lot of time with her Duggar cousins.

But all of that changed when Hutchins was arrested on felony charges for breaking and entering in April.

Image Credit: Washington County Sheriff's Office — Image Credit: Washington County Sheriff’s Office

Her son was already in the care of Michelle’s sister Carolyn when the arrest occurred, and chances of ever getting him back seemed bleak.

When Carolyn suffered a stroke in July, the boy needed somewhere to go.

But Hutchins had fallen into dire straits. At age 23, she was homeless, unemployed, and serving probation, according to InTouch.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar had their own problems to deal with—son Josh had recently been outed for molesting his sisters—but they decided to step in anyway.

According to documents obtained by InTouch, Hutchins gave temporary custody of her 8-year-old son to the famous parents in August.

Now an Arkansas judge has granted the Duggars guardianship of the boy for the child’s “best interest,” reports the Daily Mail.

That means the Duggars are officially parents to 20 children.

An insider told InTouch:

“Jim Bob and Michelle have made the child feel right at home. They treat him like their own and he looks up to them as parents.”

Hutchins was allegedly in favor of the Duggars taking guardianship of her son, because she couldn’t care for him in her current situation.

The reality TV family will apparently be keeping the boy out of the public spotlight, meaning he won’t be showing up on “Jill and Jessa: Counting On.”