Ruby Franke: Inside the Complicated Child Torture Case Against 8 Passengers Mommy Vlogger

Ruby Franke, a mother of six and who gained millions of followers for her parenting advice YouTube channel, remains in jail nearly two months after her shocking arrest on felony child abuse charges.

Franke gained a substantial following by sharing details of her family's life in Utah on her YouTube channel.

Still, concerns about her home's strict rules and restrictions began to surface as she opened up about her parenting methods.

Now, Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, await trial while behind bars after neighbors and police discovered that Franke's children had been living in deplorable conditions.

Who is Ruby Franke?

Before her arrest, Franke, 41, helped run two YouTube channels — her main account, "8 Passengers," which showcased her family life with her husband and six kids, and "ConneXions," a life-improvement advice podcast with Hildebrandt.

Franke founded the 8 Passengers channel in 2015 and amassed over 2 million subscribers before it was abruptly removed from the platform last year.

While she had amassed a large following, concerns arose when Franke began making troubling admissions, such as revealing she often wouldn't feed her children breakfast until they completed chores, even if they complained of hunger.

Franke also stated that her children were responsible for making their own lunch, and, in at least one instance, she refused to bring food to her then 6-year-old daughter when she forgot it at home.

Instead, she claimed her daughter "needed" to go hungry since she was responsible for packing lunch.

In another incident, she threatened to remove a stuffed animal's head as punishment for one of her daughters.

The troubling content led to an online petition in 2020 asking child protective services to investigate Franke, earning over 200 signatures.

YouTube later confirmed that they had banned both Franke and Hildebrandt from making content on the social network.

What are the charges against her?

Franke was arrested on Aug. 30 when her 12-year-old son was discovered malnourished and thirsty after climbing out of a window at her business partner's home in Ivins, Utah.

Neighbors told police the boy had open wounds and duct tape wrapped around parts of his body, and police later found Franke's 10-year-old daughter in similar conditions. Both were hospitalized that day.

As a result of the investigation, the Department of Child and Family Services took four of Franke's six children into their care.

On Sept. 2, she was charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, each carrying a penalty of up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Records obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune revealed that police had conducted two welfare checks on Franke's children last year.

One unidentified female neighbor told the outlet that she and others had tried to get the Utah Division of Child and Family Services to intervene for at least a year. 

Two neighbors told NBC News they were also concerned about the children living with Franke.

“I’m really angry because I spoke up. Other people spoke up,” she said. “And nothing happened.”

“I want those kids to know that the community loves them and wants them to be safe,” the neighbor added.

What have others in Ruby Franke's family said?

Franke's family members, including her sisters and 20-year-old daughter Shari, expressed relief after her arrest.

Shari said the family had been trying to report concerns to the police and Child Protective Services for some time.

Franke's sisters, Ellie Mecham, Bonnie Hoellein, and Julie Deru — issued a statement on Instagram saying the arrest "needed to happen."

Shari recently posted an update to her Instagram feed addressing what has happened since her mother's arrest.

"There's literally not even words to describe how upside down my life has become," she wrote. "I've cried, had an infinite number of panic attacks, had way too much ice cream, and yet life goes on."

Shari said being in therapy "saved me," but also attributed much of her strength to her faith.

"My life is somehow becoming more beautiful and fulfilling despite all the terrible things going on," she wrote. "I've tried to live my life to the fullest the last few weeks, even though all I want to do is hide away in my apartment (I do have my days)."

"Words can't express the gratitude I feel for you all, and I feel your love," Shari added.

It was recently revealed that Franke's husband Kevin tried to have Shari arrested for removing electronics from the family's home two days after police took her mother.

In an interview with Good Morning America shortly after Franke's arrest, attorney Randy Kester, who represents Kevin, said there have been no allegations of physical abuse against him. He also called Kevin a "good person."

Kester later claimed that Franked kicked Kevin out of the house, allegedly following the advice of Hildebrandt.

The lawyer also claimed that Franke returned from a 2022 trip with Hildebrandt who informed her that Kevin's "selfishness, materialism and lack of spiritualism" was "infecting the family," according to People.

Who else was arrested with Ruby Franke?

Jodi Hildebrandt, Franke's business partner, is also accused of child abuse, including bounding a child with rope and using food products to treat their wounds.

Hildebrandt, 54, and Franke ran the YouTube channel ConneXions together, where they expressed controversial views on parenting and other topics.

She was also arrested on Aug. 30 after Franke's malnourished son fled her Ivins home.

The child said "Jodi" had tied him up with rope, according to a search warrant.

While executing the warrant at Hildebrandt's home, officers discovered ropes, handcuffs and bandages.

Another one of Franke's children said that Hildebrandt had used a cayenne pepper and honey concoction to treat the wounds they suffered from the abuse, officials stated in the document.

Hildebrandt's niece Jessi later said in a podcast that they, too, had experienced abuse while living with her aunt.

Jessi (who uses they/them pronouns) explained that Hildebrand believed emotions like anger, depression or anxiety originated from shame as the result of sin. Because of that belief, she often punished Jessi to get them to admit to sinning.

"She would say she was trying to make me so physically uncomfortable that it forces the sin out," Jessi recalled in a separate interview with KUTV2.

"She was convinced I was a sex addict, I was a drug addict, that I had abortions," she added to the Mormon Stories podcast. "Because she was so convinced, I was also not allowed to use tampons because she was convinced I was masturbating with them, which is insane."

What's next in Ruby Franke's child abuse case?

In addition to her criminal case, Franke is involved in a child welfare case concerning the custody of four of her six children.

Her husband is fighting for custody of the four minor children who were taken into the state’s care.

Per a judge's order, the child welfare case is closed to the public because multiple minors are involved.

It is unclear whether a date has been set for her next hearing in the criminal case.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.