Ruby Franke: Youtube influencer in court after admitting abuse against her children - who are family & husband

A disgraced former parenting influencer has admitted four counts of child abuse after her son was found emaciated and with duct tape on his legs.

Ruby Franke, who was once known for sharing insight in to her family life on her Youtube channel 8 Passengers, was arrested on an aggrevated child abuse charge back in August after her child was found in this state by her neighbour back in August. Her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt was also arrested on the same charge.

Today (Tuesday December 19), Franke faced six charges of child abuse in a court in the US state of Utah, four of which she admitted. Her court appearances comes several years after viewers began questioning Franke's parenting style and discipline choices. In 2020, they became so concerned they launched a petition to get child protection services to investigate Franke. Insider reported at the time that officials visited the house but closed the case "because the claims were unsupported".

The incident that prompted the petition being created was a video in which Franke's eldest son revealed he slept on a beanbag for seven months because he had been moved out of his brother's room for teasing him. Franke spoke about the video in an interview with Insider, defending herself by saying her son had chosen a beanbag over an airbed or a pullout guest bed.

She also astonished and angered viewers with a video about her six-year-old forgetting her school lunch. In the video, Franke said she would not drop any food at school for her daughter and said she should use the "pain" of being hungry as a lesson not to forget her lunch in future. Franke was also criticised for threatening to throw away her children's possessions and not allowing them personal space. Neighbours also accused Franke of withholding food as a punishment for her children.

They also claimed that, when her husband Kevin Franke was away from home, Franke would leave the house for weeks at a time, leaving the children home alone. So, who exactly is Ruby Franke, what was her channel, what led to her arrest and what happened to her children and her husband? Here's all you need to know.

Who is Ruby Franke?

Franke was a former parenting vlogger and 'mumfluencer'. Ruby Franke and her husband Kevin Franke first became known to the world in 2015, when they launched their Youtube channel - 8 Passengers. It had more than 2.6 million subscribers before it was taken down following her arrest for child abuse.

The channel documented their lives as they brought up their six children. They showed their parenting style, which included a focus on how they disciplined their children. The parents, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, known as the Mormon Church, also shared their experience of home-schooling their children.

Why was Ruby Franke's arrested?

Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in August after Franke's 12-year-old son went to a neighbour's house asking for food and water. It emegered that he had escaped from a window in Hildebrandt's house. The local police department released the audio of the neighbour's 911 call.

"I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here in my front door asking for help," he said. He added: "We know there's been problems at this neighbour's house. He's emaciated. He's got tape around his legs. He's hungry and he's thirsty."

The boy's condition was judged by police to be so severe he was taken to hospital. Franke's 10-year-old daughter was later found malnourished and was also taken to the hospital.

The children were found at Hildebrandt's house, but Franke had been seen on a YouTube video filmed there and posted two days earlier, indicating she was at the home and had knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment and neglect, arrest records said.

What is Ruby Franke charged with?

Franke and her business partner Hildebrandt were both charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse. Each count carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $10,000 (£8,044). In Utah, aggravated child abuse is defined as an act that "inflicts upon a child serious physical injury" or "causes or permits another to inflict serious physical injury upon a child".

"Each defendant is accused of causing or permitting serious physical injury to the victims in three different ways: a combination of multiple physical injuries or torture, starvation or malnutrition that jeopardises life, and (3) causing severe emotional harm," the Washington County Attorney in Utah told NBC News.

What has happened to Ruby Franke's children?

Four of Franke's children are under 18 and have now been placed in care.

The police report also revealed that authorities were called to Franke's home last year after a concerned neighbour said her children had been left home alone for several days, according to NBC. A police officer who visited the address allegedly said that he saw children inside, but they refused to open the door. When police later returned, Franke was there with her children but would not talk to them.

Franke's eldest daughter, Shari Franke, also supposedly called the police wanting to make sure her siblings were safe and had food after the neighbour alerted her to her mother's absence, the report said.

Neighbours have spoken out anonymously about Franke. "Everyone is just breathing a collective sigh of relief because we thought they were going to come out of that house with body bags," one neighbour told NBC. "I remember that she took away their Christmas one year," he added, "and she would say things like 'they're not repenting correctly,' which is a Mormon term for 'they're sinning.' Just complete insanity."

Two of Franke's sisters have also spoken out against their sister, and said that they tried their best to help their nieces and nephews. Bonnie Hoellein said in a video she uploaded online on Thursday September 14 that she was "cut off" from the family and "did not have access to anyone".

She added that she disagreed with what she called her sister's "extreme" parenting tactics and "did everything legally that we could do" to help the children. Ellie Mecham, another of Franke's sisters, also said in an Instagram post uploaded on the same day that they had done "everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe".

Franke's eldest daughter has also spoken out. Shari Franke, aged 20, said in an Instagram story after her mother's arrest: "We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."

What happened to Ruby Franke's husband?

Kevin Franke's lawyer appeared on TV show Good Morning America to distance him from the child abuse allegations his wife faces. The lawyer said the couple had been living separately for 13 months and Kevin Franke was "distraught" after hearing about the alleged abuse. "No one's ever made any allegations that he's ever physically abused those kids, or anyone else," he said. Kevin Franke has now filed for divorce from Ruby Franke, according to People.

What happened during Ruby Franke's court appearance?

Franke and Hildebrandt had their first court hearing on Friday 8 September, but it was derailed by technology issues as more than 1,000 people tried to join virtually. YouTube commentator Tezzmosis provided a live commentary of the hearing to people who couldn't get on the live stream.

He later told NBC he believed the intense public interest stems from the clear disconnect the case illustrates between the "perfect image" a parenting influencer can present online versus their family's reality. "They've been on [authorities'] radar for a couple of years," he said. "But being from an affluent family and having this notoriety in such a way, I think it was so hard for people to believe that something so bad could be going on beyond the surface."

In her apperance at court today, (Tuesday December 17), she admitted four of the six counts of child abuse that she is charged with.

What happened to Jodi Hildebrandt?

Hildebrandt founded the controversial life counselling organisation ConneXions, which Franke became a key part of. The two women created advice videos that critics say promote a harsh style of parenting. Hildebrandt has agreed not to see patients until the allegations against her are addressed by state licensing officials.

When is Ruby Franke next in court?

Her next court hearing is set for Wednesday December 27, according to court records.