Estranged husband of abusive YouTube mum shares haunting details of inside accomplice's house
The estranged husband of former family vlogger Ruby Franke who was found guilty of abuse has spoken out about her 'bats*** crazy' relationship with her accomplice.
Last month, Franke - the mum-of-six behind YouTube channel 8Passengers - was sentenced to four consecutive terms of between one and 15 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse.
Her business partner and mental health counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, was given the same sentence for being complicit in the abuse of Franke's children.
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The horrific abuse, which included holding her son's head underwater and forcing him to endure hours of physical labour in the scorching summer heat, was uncovered after one of the children escaped and got help from a neighbour.
In a 2023 interview with Utah police that was recently released by the Washington County Attorney's Office, Ruby's estranged husband Kevin Franke detailed his wife's relationship with Hildebrandt, and the 'crazy s**t' he witnessed at her house.
He has not been charged with any crimes and said it felt 'like a sucker punch' when he realised the extent to which Ruby was abusing their children following her arrest.
Kevin explained that Ruby and Hildebrandt initially became close around 2019 due to their similar lifestyles and parenting views.
When Hildebrandt supposedly found herself in a 'cult-like situation', Ruby jumped at the chance to help her.
Kevin spoke about their bizarre relationship in which they had 'visions' and went into 'trances,' before speaking about Hildbrandt's $5.3 million (£4.2 million) mountain home.
"It blew my mind," Kevin told police. "How does a therapist live like this?"
He also spoke about a number of strange goings-on that happened when he visited the property.
"I’m a smart guy. I’m an engineer. I’ve designed, I’ve helped build some really big stuff. I’m a college professor," he said.
"I can’t explain some of the stuff that happened while we were there, like crashes in the basement while we were talking upstairs, and plates in the kitchen just flying off by themselves, like, full-speed smashing off the wall and falling to the floor by themselves.
"I can’t explain it, but I saw it with my own eyes, and I don’t have any way to explain it other than there was some crazy s**t going on."
Things apparently got worse when Hildebrandt moved into the Frankes' home.
Kevin continued: "The moment she showed up at my house, just the weirdest crap started happening: lights turning on and off, sounds of people walking in walls — like footprints going up walls and across the ceiling — and stuff floating around."
He claims he saw Hildebrant go into 'possession mode' and 'talk in different voices'.
He said: "It was weird and I hated it. And I became the resident exorcist."
Speaking about Ruby's relationship with Hildebrandt, he said: "I thought it was just bats**t crazy."
Following Franke and Hildebrandt's arrests, police found a hidden 'panic room' in the home in Irvin, Utah.
A report revealed that the room was in the basement of Hildebrandt's home behind a floor-to-ceiling safe door.
Photos and footage reveal the bare room, which consisted of cabinets, a fridge, a sink, toilet, a pull down bed and cleaning supplies.
It is thought to have been used as a 'penalty box' for the abused 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.
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."
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
Bec Oakes