Ruby Franke, the Utah mom behind the now-defunct family-oriented YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” was arrested on Wednesday on child abuse allegations after authorities found a malnourished minor with visible injuries and duct tape wrapped around their limbs, officials announced.
Franke was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt and has been charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse. Both had previously faced scrutiny for their viewpoints on parenting. They had also collaborated on Hildebrandt’s life counseling service known as ConneXions. The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department in Utah took both women into custody following a report concerning a juvenile in need around 10:50 am on Wednesday.
Arrested for Child Abuse
According to the arrest record, obtained by Page Six on Thursday, the child reportedly escaped through a window at the home of Franke’s business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, located in Ivins, Utah.
The child then sought help from a neighbor, requesting food and water. However, the neighbor got suspicious upon noticing duct tape on the child’s wrists and ankles and called police for help.
“The calling party stated the juvenile appeared to be emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around the extremities,” a statement from local authorities reads.
Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement officers described the wounds, neglect, and malnourishment suffered by the unidentified child as being of so “severe” in nature that they decided to transport the victim to the nearby Saint George Regional Hospital.
The child was placed on a medical hold “due to deep lacerations from being tied up with rope,” according to the police.
The documents state that shortly thereafter, another malnourished child was found and taken to the hospital.
According to the investigation, Franke, who is well-known for her family’s YouTube channel, had just a few days prior to the incident filmed a video in Hildebrandt’s house, suggesting that the vlogger had “knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment, and neglect.”
Big Crime Gets Exposed
Moreover, authorities also arrested Jodi Hildebrandt, who not only served as Franke’s business partner at ConneXions but was also a licensed therapist. Franke, 41, reportedly chose not to cooperate with authorities and instead invoked her right to an attorney.
As per the court’s decision, Franke was directed to be held in the Washington County jail without the possibility of bail.
Both Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested under suspicion of two counts of aggravated child abuse. Presently, four of Franke’s children are under the care of the Department of Child and Family Services.
In Utah, the classification of aggravated child abuse encompasses actions such as deliberate starvation, causing broken bones, inducing head injuries through hitting or shaking, and instances of suffocation.
Those found to have intentionally caused such harm may be subject to a maximum prison sentence of up to 15 years and could be liable to pay a fine reaching up to $10,000.
Ruby’s husband Kevin Franke told Page Six via his attorney Randy S. Kester that his “urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care.”
All of Ruby’s family members, including her estranged daughter Shari, have released statements after her arrest.
“Today has been a big day. Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” Shari wrote on Instagram.
“We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
