The world of social media parenting took a dark turn when ruby franke, once celebrated as a dedicated mother and family content creator, was arrested in August 2023. What millions of followers saw as wholesome family content masked a disturbing reality of severe child abuse. The Utah mother who documented her life raising six children on YouTube now faces decades behind bars for crimes that shocked the nation.
Ruby Franke built an empire on YouTube through her channel 8 Passengers, attracting over 2 million subscribers who tuned in to watch her family’s daily activities. Viewers saw a seemingly devoted mother sharing parenting advice, homeschooling tips, and glimpses into their faith-based lifestyle. However, the cameras never captured the horrifying abuse happening behind closed doors.
The arrest of ruby franke in late summer 2023 sent shockwaves through the parenting influencer community. When police discovered two severely malnourished and injured children, the extent of the abuse became impossible to ignore. One child had escaped through a window, emaciated and covered in wounds from restraints. The investigation revealed months of systematic torture that ruby franke inflicted on her own children with the help of her business partner.
This story examines how ruby franke went from beloved momfluencer to convicted child abuser, exploring the warning signs many viewers noticed, the influence of her controversial life coach, and the brave escape that finally brought justice.
Franke Rooted Her Family Life in Faith
Ruby Franke was born in January 1982 in Utah, where she grew up alongside three sisters in a deeply religious environment. Her upbringing was steeped in the traditions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which would later become central to both her public persona and private life. In 2000, ruby franke married Kevin Franke, who worked as an engineering professor at Brigham Young University.
Together, Ruby franke and Kevin built a large family that reflected their religious beliefs. The couple welcomed six children over the course of a decade: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. Their children were born between March 2003 and September 2013, creating a bustling household that ruby franke would eventually share with the world through social media.
| Child’s Name | Birth Order | Approximate Birth Year |
| Shari | First | 2003 |
| Chad | Second | 2005 |
| Abby | Third | 2007 |
| Julie | Fourth | 2009 |
| Russell | Fifth | 2011 |
| Eve | Sixth | 2013 |
Faith wasn’t just a background element in the Franke household—it was the foundation upon which ruby franke claimed to build her entire parenting philosophy. In a 2016 interview with Salt Lake City television station KSL, ruby franke explained that their social media presence allowed them to share their faith in ways they wouldn’t normally do in person. She portrayed their religious values as guiding principles that shaped every decision.
However, what ruby franke presented publicly began to diverge significantly from what she documented in private journals. Behind the scenes, ruby franke became increasingly fixated on darker religious themes. Her personal writings revealed an obsession with concepts of evil, demonic influence, and spiritual warfare. In journal entries examined during legal proceedings, ruby franke made disturbing references to the devil, demons, and possession when describing her own children.
In one particularly troubling entry, ruby labeled one of her children as “Satanic,” demonstrating a worldview that had strayed far from mainstream religious teaching. Another entry described how she believed this child “slithers & sneaks around looking for opportunities when no one is watching.” These writings painted a picture of a mother whose interpretation of faith had become twisted into something dangerous.
The religious framework that ruby franke claimed guided her parenting became a justification for increasingly harsh treatment. What started as strict discipline rooted in conservative religious values gradually transformed into abuse masked by spiritual language.
The Well-Known YouTube Creator Had Received Flack for Her Parenting
Years before ruby franke’s arrest exposed the full extent of her abusive behavior, warning signs were visible to anyone watching her YouTube content. In 2015, Ruby franke and her husband Kevin launched the 8 Passengers channel, naming it after their family of eight members. The channel quickly gained traction, eventually attracting more than 2 million subscribers who regularly tuned in to watch the Franke family’s daily activities.
Ruby Franke positioned herself as an authority on parenting, offering advice on discipline strategies, homeschooling techniques, and managing a large household. However, as the channel’s popularity grew, so did concerns about ruby franke’s parenting approach. Many viewers began noticing that some of the discipline tactics ruby franke employed seemed excessively harsh.
One incident that drew significant backlash involved ruby franke’s then-15-year-old son, who revealed in a video that he had been sleeping on a bean bag for seven months as punishment. The casual way ruby franke discussed this extended punishment alarmed viewers. The video sparked enough concern that a Change.org petition was created, calling for an investigation into the family.
The petition gained traction, and in June 2020, child protective services were called to investigate the Franke home. and her family were interviewed by social workers who examined the claims. However, after their investigation, the case was closed when authorities determined the allegations were unsubstantiated. This outcome allowed ruby franke to continue her YouTube channel without intervention.
Other troubling videos continued to circulate. In one particularly controversial clip, ruby franke told her audience that she had deliberately refused to bring lunch to her six-year-old daughter Eve after the child forgot to pack one for school.
“Hopefully, nobody gives her food and nobody steps in and gives her lunch, because then she’s not going to learn from the natural outcome,” ruby franke explained to the camera. Many viewers and child development experts who saw the video were horrified, noting that deliberately withholding food from a small child as punishment is both cruel and potentially harmful.
Ruby Franke also shared her practice of threatening to throw away her children’s important possessions unless they “bought them back” using cash or by performing “equivalent-value” chores. This transactional approach to parenting struck many viewers as manipulative and psychologically damaging.
Despite the mounting criticism and clear warning signs visible in her content, these concerns weren’t enough to stop ruby franke’s questionable practices. Her approach seemed to become more extreme over time, particularly after she formed a relationship with a controversial life coach.
Franke Was Further Influenced by an “Extreme” Life Coaching Service
In 2022, ruby franke made two significant life changes that would set the stage for her eventual crimes. She discontinued the 8 Passengers YouTube channel and separated from her husband Kevin. Around this same time, ruby franke began a professional collaboration with Jodi Hildebrandt, a licensed therapist who ran a coaching service called ConneXions.
Jodi Hildebrandt, now 56 years old, had established ConneXions in 2007 with the stated purpose of providing counseling on relationships and parenting issues. Hildebrandt specialized in treating pornography and sexual addiction, and her practice was heavily influenced by LDS faith teachings. However, according to multiple former clients, Hildebrandt’s approach went far beyond standard therapeutic practices.
Former clients of ConneXions described Hildebrandt’s methods as extreme, reporting that she frequently employed shaming techniques and promoted rigid thinking about human behavior. Several people claimed that her counseling often damaged relationships rather than healing them, and that she encouraged clients to cut off family members who didn’t conform to her worldview.
Ruby franke quickly became deeply involved with ConneXions, appearing regularly in videos alongside Hildebrandt where they discussed parenting strategies. The partnership seemed mutually beneficial—ruby franke gained a professional credential when she was designated as a “certified mental fitness trainer” on the ConneXions website, while Hildebrandt gained access to ruby franke’s substantial social media following.
Beyond their professional collaboration, ruby franke also sought out Hildebrandt’s services for her own family. According to ruby franke’s later testimony, Hildebrandt began counseling one of her sons in 2019, and by 2020, ruby franke had hired Hildebrandt as a personal mentor. This deepening relationship proved catastrophic.
Ruby franke would later describe how Hildebrandt’s counseling led her to adopt what she called a “distorted version of reality.” In a statement made during her court proceedings, ruby franke explained how Hildebrandt’s worldview gradually reshaped her own perceptions until she saw danger and evil everywhere.
“I was led to believe that this world was an evil place filled with cops who control, hospitals that injure, government agencies that brainwash, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who refuse to protect, and children who need abuse,” Ruby Franke tearfully admitted in court. This statement revealed how Hildebrandt had systematically isolated ruby franke from external authorities who might have intervened.
The combination of ruby franke’s existing rigid parenting philosophy, her obsession with religious themes of evil, and Hildebrandt’s extreme coaching approach created a toxic situation that would lead to horrifying consequences.
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Franke Withheld Food and Water from 2 of Her Kids
The abuse that ruby franke inflicted on two of her children during the summer of 2023 was systematic, prolonged, and shockingly cruel. Court documents revealed horrifying details of what occurred between May and August 2023, primarily at Jodi Hildebrandt’s home where ruby franke had moved with some of her children.
Ruby Franke targeted her 12-year-old son with particularly severe abuse. According to the plea agreement, she forced the boy to perform physical labor for extended periods under hazardous conditions. The child was made to work outside in intense Utah summer heat without shoes. As a result, the boy suffered multiple severe sunburns that caused his skin to blister and slough off.
The physical labor was only one component of the torture ruby franke inflicted. She also implemented a regime of starvation, systematically denying her son adequate food for months. Ruby franke even punished the child after discovering he had consumed water without her permission.
The boy suffered grievous physical injuries from restraints. Jodi Hildebrandt used ropes and handcuffs to bind the child’s wrists and ankles for extended periods, causing serious damage to muscle tissue. When the boy told police what happened, he described how the wounds were treated with cayenne pepper and honey—substances that would have caused excruciating pain. After this painful treatment, the wounds were covered with duct tape.
Ruby Franke’s nine-year-old daughter suffered similar abuse during this period. Like her brother, she was forced to work outside in bare feet and was denied adequate food and water. The physical abuse was accompanied by psychological torture, as the child was repeatedly told she was “evil and possessed.”
In July 2023, the 12-year-old boy attempted to escape from Hildebrandt’s home but was caught. As punishment, the boy was bound at both his hands and feet using two sets of handcuffs, rendering him completely immobilized.
The conditions inside Hildebrandt’s home were hellish. The children lived in constant fear, suffering from hunger, thirst, pain from their wounds, and psychological trauma from the relentless message that they deserved their treatment.
A Daring Escape Led to Franke’s Arrest
On August 30, 2023, ruby franke’s then-12-year-old son made a second escape attempt, and this time his courage would finally bring the nightmare to an end. Despite being severely weakened by months of starvation, the boy managed to climb through a window of the house.
Once outside, the frightened child began desperately seeking help. He approached two nearby houses, but no one responded. The boy rang the doorbell at a third house and, thinking no one was home, began to walk away. But this time, a man opened the door.
“Hey. I was just wondering if you could do two favors?” the boy asked. “If you could take me to the nearest police station… Well, actually just one [favor] is fine.” The boy’s attempt to minimize his needs demonstrated how thoroughly ruby franke had conditioned him to feel he didn’t deserve help.
The neighbor immediately recognized something was terribly wrong. The man offered the child water, a banana, and a chair to sit down. He then called 911, and doorbell footage shows him becoming emotional as he described the boy’s condition to emergency services. The neighbor stayed on the phone until an ambulance arrived minutes later.
Once police arrived, the boy directed officers to Jodi Hildebrandt’s home. Based on exigent circumstances, police executed a search of the property. Officers discovered ruby franke’s nine-year-old daughter inside a closet. The girl’s head had been shaved, and like her brother, she was severely malnourished.
Both ruby franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were immediately arrested and each charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse. Four of Ruby Franke’s children were placed in state custody to ensure their safety.
Franke’s Oldest Daughter and Sisters Disowned Her
The public response to ruby franke’s arrest was swift. On September 6, 2023, YouTube announced it had permanently banned ruby franke from the platform and terminated both of her channels.
The most powerful reaction came from Ruby Franke’s oldest daughter, Shari, who had cut ties with her family in 2022. On the day of ruby franke’s arrest, Shari posted an Instagram story showing news coverage with a simple caption: “Finally.” That single word conveyed years of frustration and relief.
In a follow-up post, Shari revealed that family members had tried to intervene earlier. “Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” she wrote. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
Ruby Franke’s three sisters, who were also social media personalities, moved quickly to distance themselves. On September 13, 2023, Bonnie Hoellein released a video explaining that they had been estranged from ruby franke and had no knowledge of the abuse. “We were cut off. We did not have access to anyone,” Hoellein said, ending the video with, “I am not my sister. I am not my sister’s mistake.”
Shari has since become a vocal critic of ruby franke and family vlogging. In January 2025, she published a memoir titled “The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom.” In promotional interviews, Shari revealed that her mother’s abusive behavior predated the arrest by many years.
“When I was younger, around, like, 5-6 [years old], Ruby was really physical,” Shari told ABC’s Good Morning America. “Whether it was like a slap to the lip or a slap to the cheek… when I would practice the piano, her hand would slam and it was really scary.”
Shari has used her platform to advocate for stronger protections for children in family vlogging content. “I’ve witnessed the damage of what happens when your life is put online,” Shari told People magazine. “There’s no ethical way to do it.”
The Influencer Is Now in Prison
While ruby franke’s family members were sharing their stories, the legal system began holding ruby franks accountable. During a September 2023 court appearance from prison, ruby franke made disturbing allegations claiming one of her children had sexually abused others. However, she provided no proof, and there has been no public acknowledgement of any investigations.
Both ruby franke and Jodi Hildebrandt remained in custody without bail. In December 2023, prosecutors requested a waiver hearing, signaling possible plea negotiations. On December 18, 2023, ruby franke appeared in court and pleaded guilty to four felony counts of aggravated child abuse. Jodi Hildebrandt similarly entered a guilty plea.
The sentencing hearing took place on February 20, 2024. “It is important to me to demonstrate my remorse and regret without blame. I take full accountability for my choices, and it is my preference that I serve a prison sentence,” Ruby Franke said tearfully.
The judge sentenced ruby franke to four consecutive prison terms, with each term carrying a sentence of 1 to 15 years. Due to Utah state law, ruby franke’s total time served cannot exceed 30 years. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will ultimately determine exactly how much time ruby franke serves.
Ruby Franke is currently incarcerated at the Utah State Correctional Facility, where she is reportedly pursuing a degree behind bars. She has no contact with Kevin Franke or any of her six children. According to public records, ruby franke’s original hearing for parole is scheduled for December 2026.
The case of ruby franke serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked parental authority, the potential for social media fame to hide abuse, and the importance of taking warning signs seriously.
FAQ’s
What was Ruby Franke known for before her arrest?
Ruby Franke was a popular YouTube family vlogger who ran the 8 Passengers channel with over 2 million subscribers, sharing content about parenting, homeschooling, and family life.
How many children does Ruby Franke have?
Ruby Franke has six children with her estranged husband Kevin: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve, born between 2003 and 2013.
Who is Jodi Hildebrandt and what was her role?
Jodi Hildebrandt was a therapist and life coach who ran ConneXions counseling service. She collaborated with ruby franke and was arrested alongside her for the abuse.
How was the abuse discovered?
Ruby Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped through a window in August 2023 and asked a neighbor for help, leading police to discover him and his sister in severely malnourished conditions.
What sentence did Ruby Franke receive?
Ruby franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and received four consecutive terms of 1 to 15 years, with a maximum of 30 years under Utah law.
Final Thoughts
The story of ruby franke represents one of the most disturbing cases of child abuse to emerge from the social media influencer world. What began as a popular family vlogging channel ended with a mother imprisoned for torturing her own children. The case exposed how online personas can mask horrific realities and how systems meant to protect children sometimes fail to act on warning signs.
Ruby Franke’s transformation from celebrated momfluencer to convicted felon happened gradually, influenced by her increasingly extreme religious beliefs and her relationship with Jodi Hildebrandt. The courage of her son, who escaped despite being weakened and traumatized, ultimately brought the abuse to light. Today, ruby franke sits in prison while her children work to heal, and her case continues to spark important conversations about child safety in the digital age.
Emma is an author at MeaningsSpot, where she crafts unique and inspiring names that spark creativity. With over 3 years of content writing experience, she specializes in making words meaningful and memorable.