Toby Willis, the father formerly featured on TLC reality series “The Willis Family,” has been arrested and charged with child rape.
“During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information Willis had a sexual encounter approximately 12 years ago with an underage female,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said in a statement. “The investigation into Willis remains active and ongoing.”
The TBI also said that Willis has been under investigation since Aug. 29. He was arrested in Greenville, Kentucky, “where he travelled in an effort to avoid law enforcement,” the bureau said. He is currently being held in a Kentucky jail, but will face extradition back to Tennessee.
“The Willis Family,” which aired for two seasons on TLC, followed parents Brenda and Toby as they shared the challenge of maintaining their large family while keeping up with the workload required to manage their touring family band, The Willis Clan.
Following Willis’ arrest, TLC announced they had cancelled the show. “TLC did not renew ‘The Willis Family’ and new episodes have not aired since April 2016,” the network told TheWrap in a statement. “We are shocked to hear this news.” In addition, the show’s official page no longer appears on the TLC website.
