Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar from the former TLC show "19 Kids and Counting" have expanded their family now that they have adopted Michelle's eight-year-old great-nephew.
The court documents obtained by ET revealed that the Christian couple have been granted temporary guardianship of Tyler Wayne Hutchins after they filed an emergency petition on Aug. 26. The guardianship was made permanent on Nov. 21.
The boy's 23-year-old mother, Rachel Hutchins, Michelle's niece, reportedly "exhibited a pattern of behaviour demonstrating that she is presently unable to meet Tyler's health, safety, and other needs" since she is unemployed, has no means of transportation, and presently under probation.
She agreed to sign off on the Duggars' guardianship, provided that they allow her supervised visits with her son.
The Duggars' adoption was first reported by In Touch Weekly. Based on the public records obtained by the publication, Hutchins gave birth to her son when she was just a teenager. She is currently on probation for three years after she was arrested in April. She was slapped with felony charges for breaking and entering at a tow truck business in Springdale, Arkansas and stealing a pocket knife and $2 in change.
With this development, it seems Jim Bob and Michelle have beaten their daughter Jessa and her husband Ben Seewald with their adoption plans. Before Jessa and Ben even gave birth to their son Spurgeon Elliot, they were already planning to adopt several kids into their family.
Jessa is currently pregnant with their second child. But even with a second child on the way, Jessa has revealed that they still plan to adopt a child. "As we are praying towards a future adoption, it's great to have other families around that have walked this road and can give us good advice. At this point, we're planning for a domestic adoption, but I don't think we really have a preference either way for a boy or girl," Jessa said in a recent episode of "Counting On."
