Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Police have uncovered a 'panic room' inside the home of the former influencer's accomplice.
Ruby Franke was arrested on multiple charges of child abuse on 30 August 2023 in Utah, USA, alongside business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt.
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They were both charged on 20 February 2024, after one of Franke's children escaped and got help from a neighbour.
Both plead guilt to four felony counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse and were sentenced to serve four terms of one to 15 years in jail for each charge.
However, due to a Utah law on consecutive sentences, they will not serve more than 30 years in the Federal Penitentiary, with The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole responsible for the severity and lengths of their sentences.
Bodycam footage reveals the police discovering the room while searching Hildebrandt's £4.2 million home in Irvin, Utah.
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Her property is where Franke sent her children to stay often, according to recently revealed documents.
It is also where one of the 42-year-old's emaciated kids got free and alerted the authorities of the evil religiously-inspired abuse inflicted on the children.
The report revealed that the room was in the basement of Hildebrandt's home behind a floor-to-ceiling safe door.
Police entered slowly, with photos and footage revealing the bare room, which consisted of cabinets, a fridge, a sink, toilet, a pull down bed and cleaning supplies.
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Franke once had a successful YouTube channel, where she shared content with the 45-year-old Hildebrandt in a joint parenting lifestyle channel.
The content creator was jailed for abusing her own children in what was described as a 'concentration camp-like setting'.
Hildebrandt, a mental health counsellor, was also given the same sentence after her involvement in the situation was revealed.
The Washington County Attorney's Office said in a March 22 statement: "The investigation found that religious extremism motivated Ms. Franke and Ms. Hildebrandt to inflict this horrific abuse,
"The women appeared to fully believe that the abuse they inflicted was necessary to teach the children how to properly repent for imagined ‘sins’ and to cast the evil spirits out of their bodies," it read.
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Franke's disturbing diaries were also published by the Washington County Attorney, which explained exactly how she abused her kids, as well as off-the-rails religious claims.
It also detailed how she forced one of her sons to sleep outside after refusing to do wall sits, with another being shaved bald after refusing to do housework.
There was also an incident where a child was covered in water in the dog wash, another where one was made to sit in the scalding hot sun while being poked with a 'cactus poker', soaking kids in old mop water, or even starving her children.
Full timeline of the Ruby Franke case:
Starting a YouTube channel and initial suspicions
Franke started her parenting YouTube channel '8Passengers' with now ex-husband, Kevin, amassing over 2.5 million subscribers before it was deleted in 2023 following the arrest.
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Several subscribers became suspicious of child abuse, with a petition being signed for the police to investigate the family, citing the numerous questionable videos uploaded.
Franke joins ConneXions with Jodi Hildebrandt
The mum told critics in a 2021 interview for The Wrap that she was showing everyone 'what a responsible mother looks like'.
She stopped uploading videos to the channel in 2022, joining Mormon therapist Hildebrandt's ConneXions podcast.
Their divisive opinions on subjects such as eating disorders, blaming rape victims and criticising immigrants drew the wrong kind of attention.
The arrest
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges in August 2023.
The Santa Clara Public Safety Department were called to the Ivins neighbourhood in Utah after a neighbour was alerted by Franke's 'emaciated' 12-year-old son, who escaped to knock on their door to ask for help.
He had visible marks and wounds from duct tape put around his ankles, and asked for some food and water.
Police found his 10-year-old sister in a 'similar physical condition of malnourishment' in Hildebrandt's house.
Family members speak out
Franke's oldest daughter, Shari, wrote on Instagram on the day of the arrests: “Today has been a big day."
The 20-year-old continued: "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."
In November, Kevin also officially filed for divorce from Franke.
Franke and Hildebrandt are charged with six counts of child abuse
Just one week after their arrests, the pair were charged with six counts of felony child abuse.
YouTube banned Franke, deleting both 8Passengers and ConneXions channels and banning her from the social media platform.
Franke blames the abuse on Hildebrandt
Her attorneys released a statement that said: “Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrandt had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement. Ms. Hildebrandt took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous," according to Fox13.
It blamed Hildebrandt solely for isolating Franke from her family completely, distorting her morality.
Franke pleads guilty
Just three days after the statement was released, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.
Franke and Hildebrandt are sentenced to prison for child abuse
On 20 February 2024, Franke was convicted and given four separate prison sentences of one to 15 years, with the length of each sentence decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
Franke will not serve more than 30 years in the Federal Penitentiary because of a Utah law about consecutive sentences.
Hildebrandt received the same sentence and how long she spends in prison will also be decided by the parole board.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: Crime, Parenting, US News, YouTube, Ruby Franke
Joshua Nair