Everything Barry and Kim Plath Have Shared About the Tragic Death of 17-Month-Old Son Joshua

The late Joshua Plath passed away during a farming accident on the Plaths' property in 2008

On July 26, 2022, Kim and Barry Plath opened up about the 2008 accident that killed their 17-month-old son Joshua in a two-hour-long episode of TLC's Welcome to Plathville.

On their reality series, the Plaths have introduced nine of their children: Ethan, Hosanna, Micah, Moriah, Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia and Mercy. Their 10th child, Joshua, died in a tragic incident that occurred in their backyard in 2008.

Welcome to Plathville follows parents Kim and Barry as they raise their kids — conservative, religious, homeschooled, sheltered from technology and barred from sugary drinks — while residing on an isolated 50-acre farm in rural Georgia.

In June 2022, the couple announced their divorce after 24 years of marriage. Despite their split, they've committed to remaining loyal to their family.

"As we navigate this new chapter in our lives, we will co-parent our amazing children," Kim and Barry said in a joint statement to PEOPLE in 2023.

Here's what to know about the late Joshua and everything Kim and Barry have said about him since his tragic death.

Related: 'Welcome to Plathville' : Kim Plath Has a 'Difficult' Talk with Daughter Lydia About Divorce

When was Joshua Plath born?

Joshua was born on April 15, 2007, and died on Sept. 19, 2008, nearly 10 years before his family appeared on television.

How did Joshua Plath die?

Joshua died in a farming accident that took place on the Plath farm in the fall of 2008. Kim was using her car to move fruit trees on their Georgia property and did not realize her 17-month-old son was nearby until she hit him.

"I had just seen him, and I thought it was okay," Kim recalled on an episode that aired in 2019. "But I ran over him."

She was also pregnant with her eighth child at the time.

Related: Welcome to Plathville's Ethan and Olivia Plath File for Divorce 4 Months After Announcing Split

Was Joshua Plath's death accidental?

An investigation took place, in which the Grady County Sheriff's Office ultimately ruled the death of Joshua accidental, reported Thomasville Times-Enterprise in September 2008.

"The mother was pulling the vehicle forward — she had been doing yard work — and thought she had accounted for all the kids," Investigator Daniel Singletary said. "She had seven children, ages 15 months to 10 years old, and they were all outside playing. She thought everyone was accounted for, moved the vehicle forward and discovered she'd run over the youngest."

Singletary continued, "Medical personnel took over and tried to save the child, but they were unsuccessful. He was pronounced at the scene."

What have Barry and Kim Plath said about son Joshua Plath's death?

According to Woman's Day, Kim once wrote an essay on the family's now-deleted website, detailing how she struggled tremendously and faced depression in the wake of their son's death.

"I woke up every morning and functioned. But just barely. I wanted to die," the matriarch wrote, per the outlet. "My husband was dealing with losing his son and his wife. I was gone. Checked out. Unavailable for conversations or reality."

"I thought of the accusations I would have thrown at Barry if the situation had been reversed," Kim wrote. "He never did. He never even hinted at anything like that. He was strong. He just loved me."

Kim also opened up about the accident to producers during an episode on season 2.

"I probably am my biggest accuser, and that was a battle that I dealt [with] the first year that he died," she said. "I was pretty much just shut down."

How did the Plaths honor Joshua's birthday?

In remembrance of the late Joshua, Kim, Barry and the family gathered at his gravesite for a memorial in honor of what would've been his 15th birthday during the season 4 episode "I'm Done Choosing" in 2022.

"He lived a short life, but he made a big impression," Barry told producers. "His memory lives on through the older children into the younger children."

The fraught reunion was drama-filled due to Ethan and his wife Olivia's broken relationship with Kim. While Ethan decided to center the day's focus around Joshua rather than his strained relationship with his mom, Olivia opted out of going with the family (she ultimately rode with a producer and stayed in the car).

"It's definitely frustrating," Ethan said on the episode. "The morning started off so great. Then it's like, 'We're going to go to the grave, and my mom's going to be there,' and then s--- hits the fan."

Ethan continued, "I just don't really have the bandwidth to keep dealing with this stuff."

Related: 'Welcome to Plathville' 's Barry Plath Is 'Really Lonely' as He and Kim Navigate 'Weird' Split

What has Moriah Plath said about Joshua Plath's death?

Joshua was born when the Plath's second oldest daughter, Moriah, was five and passed away when she was six. Though she was young when it happened, she still has vivid memories of the incident.

"One of the things I struggle with to this day is ... I was really close when he got run over," Moriah revealed on season 4's two-hour-long episode. "I watched it all happen, so sometimes I'll still remember that like it was yesterday, like a flashback."

She added, "When I go to think of him, that's the first thing I'll think of, and so I thought that this would be really good for all of us ... Just to remember the good in it and kind of reflect on that instead of what I always think of when I first think of him."

Moriah and Barry shared a tearful moment at the cemetery and embraced each other for support.

"After Joshua died, nobody would talk about it, like it was something that didn't happen," Moriah said.

Despite the past, she was glad that Joshua brought everyone together.

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