The parenting influencer jailed for little one abuse, the place is she now?

Ruby Franke, as soon as a celebrated parenting influencer with an enormous following on her YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” skilled a dramatic fall from grace. Ruby turned well-known for sharing her household’s every day life, that includes her husband Kevin Franke, and their six kids.

Profile abstract

Full Identify	Ruby Franke
Date of Start	42 years (as of 2024)
Date of Start	18 January 1982 (age 42 years)
Place of Start	Utah, United States
Occupation	Former YouTuber, Parenting Influencer
YouTube Channel	8Passengers (2015-2023)
Partner	Kevin Franke (Estranged)
Youngsters	Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, Eve
Arrest Date	August 30, 2023
Costs	4 counts of aggravated little one abuse
Sentence	As much as 30 years in jail

Who’s Ruby Franke?

Ruby Franke is a former American parenting influencer and YouTuber who gained fame by way of her now-defunct channel, 8Passengers. Born in Utah, Ruby turned well-known for sharing her household’s every day life, that includes her husband Kevin Franke, and their six kids: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. The channel amassed over 2 million subscribers, making the Franke household one of many outstanding figures within the household vlogging group.

What led to Ruby Franke’s rise to fame?

In 2015, Ruby Franke launched 8Passengers, a YouTube channel that supplied viewers a glimpse into her household’s life. The content material ranged from homeschooling routines and household dinners to parenting recommendation based mostly on her Mormon beliefs. Ruby’s strict and authoritative parenting model attracted a major following, with many viewers appreciating her candid strategy to motherhood.

How did controversies surrounding Ruby Franke start?

Regardless of her preliminary reputation, Ruby Franke’s parenting strategies quickly sparked criticism. Viewers turned involved after witnessing a number of situations that they perceived as harsh and probably abusive. Notable controversies included:

• Withholding Meals: In a single video, Ruby talked about that her then-6-year-old daughter ought to go hungry after forgetting her packed lunch for varsity, stating, “Hopefully no one provides her meals and no one steps in and provides her a lunch as a result of then she’s not going to be taught.”
• Excessive Punishments: Her teenage son Chad revealed he had been sleeping on a beanbag chair for seven months as punishment for pranking his brother.
• Public Humiliation: Ruby typically brazenly mentioned her kids’s misbehavior and punishments on the channel, which many felt was inappropriate and damaging.

These incidents led to petitions and requires Baby Protecting Companies to research the household.

How Did Ruby Franke’s Parenting Fashion Change Over Time?

Ruby Franke’s parenting movies have been initially stuffed with on a regular basis household interactions, however they regularly showcased a harsher self-discipline model. This shift was not well-received, as viewers and critics started to query her strategies, particularly when her kids have been punished with measures like meals withholding and excessive self-discipline. Her strategy led to widespread criticism and in the end contributed to authorized scrutiny.

When and How Was Ruby Franke Arrested?

On August 30, 2023, Ruby Franke was arrested alongside Jodi Hildebrandt after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt’s dwelling in Ivins, Utah. The boy, emaciated and with seen wounds sure by duct tape, sought assist from a neighbor, pleading for meals and water. Authorities discovered Ruby’s 10-year-old daughter in an analogous situation inside the house.

Each ladies have been charged with six counts of felony aggravated little one abuse. The Washington County Lawyer’s Workplace accused them of inflicting or allowing critical bodily harm to the victims by way of, a number of bodily accidents or torture, hunger, or malnutrition that jeopardized life, inflicting extreme emotional hurt.

What was the Function of ConneXions and Jodi Hildebrandt?

After going through backlash on 8Passengers, Ruby Franke collaborated with Jodi Hildebrandt, a licensed therapist, to create a brand new enterprise referred to as ConneXions. This platform claimed to supply life teaching and parenting recommendation however was criticized for selling authoritarian and controversial teachings. Hildebrandt had beforehand confronted scrutiny from the Utah Scientific Psychological Well being Counselor Licensing Board, which positioned her on an 18-month probation in 2012 for discussing a affected person’s confidential info with out consent.

Collectively, Ruby and Jodi emphasised strict obedience and self-discipline, typically below the guise of addressing “distortions” and selling “fact.” They used ConneXions and an related Instagram account, Mothers of Reality, to disseminate their beliefs, which included, advocating for folks to withhold love and affection as a type of self-discipline, dismissing kids’s rights to privateness, and making discriminatory remarks, together with transphobic, racist, and ableist feedback.

How did Ruby Franke’s husband reply?

Kevin Franke, Ruby’s husband, distanced himself from the allegations. His lawyer said that Kevin had been dwelling individually from Ruby for over a yr earlier than her arrest. He expressed deep concern for his kids’s well-being and supported the utmost sentence for Ruby, describing the abuse as “horrific and inhumane.”

Authorized Proceedings and sentencing

In December 2023, Ruby Franke pleaded responsible to 4 counts of aggravated little one abuse. Throughout the court docket proceedings, she admitted to a number of abusive acts, together with binding her son with handcuffs and duct tape, withholding meals and requirements, and inflicting bodily hurt below the pretense of non secular teachings.

In February 2024, each Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt have been sentenced to as much as 30 years in jail—the utmost consecutive time period allowed in Utah. The precise size of their imprisonment shall be decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. Throughout sentencing, Ruby tearfully apologized, stating she was below a “darkish delusion” and believed “proper was fallacious.”

Why did authorities and neighbors fail to intervene earlier?

Regardless of a number of experiences and issues raised by neighbors and viewers, interventions by authorities have been unsuccessful till the arrest. Neighbors claimed they’d contacted the Utah Division of Baby and Household Companies a number of instances, reporting that the youngsters have been left alone for prolonged durations. Nonetheless, makes an attempt by officers to achieve the youngsters have been typically thwarted, as they’d not open the door or have been hid by Ruby and Jodi.

Shari Franke and different relations expressed frustration over the delayed response, emphasizing that they’d been attempting to alert authorities for years.

What was revealed in Ruby Franke’s journals?

In October 2024, the Washington County Lawyer’s Workplace launched redacted excerpts from Ruby Franke’s journals. The entries offered a disturbing perception into her mindset and the extent of the abuse, together with:

• Describing her kids as “manipulative” and “possessed.”
• Documenting situations the place she pressured her son to face within the solar, poked him with a cactus, and poured sizzling mop water on him.
• Admitting to reducing her daughter’s hair as punishment and protecting her with “canine wash” water.
• Rationalizing the abuse as essential to “break the bond Devil made” along with her kids.

Prosecutors said that Ruby and Jodi’s actions have been motivated by excessive spiritual beliefs and that they genuinely believed their abusive strategies have been acts of affection supposed to rid their kids of evil spirits.

The place are Ruby Franke’s kids now?

Following the arrests, all 4 of Ruby Franke’s minor kids have been taken into the care of the Utah Division of Baby and Household Companies. Her eldest daughter, Shari Franke, who had been estranged from the household, expressed aid on social media, stating, “Me and my household are so glad justice is being served.” Shari had beforehand voiced issues about her siblings’ welfare and had tried to alert authorities.

Ruby’s sisters, fellow influencers Ellie Mecham, Julie Griffiths Deru, and Bonnie Hoellein, launched a joint assertion expressing their aid and assist for the youngsters. They emphasised that the arrest “wanted to occur” and that the youngsters now face “a protracted highway forward” in the direction of therapeutic.

FAQs

Who’s Ruby Franke? Ruby Franke is a former parenting YouTuber recognized for her channel “8 Passengers,” which documented her household life. She was later convicted of kid abuse.

What was “8 Passengers” about? “8 Passengers” was a YouTube channel that includes the Franke household’s every day life, specializing in parenting and household interactions.

How did the general public react to Ruby Franke’s parenting model? Ruby Franke’s parenting model initially garnered a big following, however over time, criticism mounted resulting from her strict and harsh disciplinary strategies, resulting in public outcry and authorized motion.

What led to Ruby Franke’s arrest? Ruby Franke was arrested after her son escaped from their dwelling displaying indicators of extreme malnourishment and abuse, resulting in an investigation that uncovered additional proof of mistreatment.

The place is Ruby Franke now? Ruby Franke is presently incarcerated, serving a jail sentence for her conviction on a number of costs of kid abuse.

Are Ruby Franke’s Youngsters Secure Now? Sure, following Ruby’s arrest, her minor kids have been positioned below the care of the Utah Division of Baby and Household Companies.