Ruby Franke's daughter gives update on siblings following YouTube mother's arrest for child abuse
Ruby Franke's eldest daughter has shared an update on how her younger siblings are doing since their YouTuber mother's arrest.
Mother-of-six Ruby became famous on the internet after sharing parenting tips online. Her original channel '8 Passengers' would reach the height of popularity in 2020.
However, the vlogger would also attract controversy over her parenting methods, with a Change.org petition even being made to highlight Ruby's treatment of the children.
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After Ruby separated from her husband in 2022 she began working alongside former counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt, with the pair later moving in together.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in 2023, later pleading guilty to four out of six counts of aggravated child abuse. The pair were each received a custodial sentence of four to 30 years.
The former YouTuber's eldest daughter Shari is now speaking publicly about what it was like to grow up with Ruby as a mother, lifting the lid on her experiences in memoir The House of My Mother.
Shari has also given an update on the wellbeing of her five younger siblings during a new interview with The Guardian, revealing they were all 'healing'.
"They’re all healing in their own ways and in their own time," she said. "As a family, we’re all doing our own part and trying to heal."
Shari meanwhile has become a passionate advocate against family vlogging, even speaking about the topic in-front of the Senate hearing.
"At the time, I’d tell you that I had a choice in what was filmed," she said in her testimony, via ABC News. "But I’ve come to learn that every child influencer, in a way, suffers from Stockholm syndrome.
"Most child influencers would probably tell you they have full control over what is posted; but the reality is that their parents bribe and shame them into posting their most vulnerable moments.
She continued: "We cannot give consent to our parents to post our lives. In any other context, it is understood that children cannot consent, but for some reason, people think family vlogging is different."
Shari is also planning to keep her private life outside of the spotlight, recently revealing that her engagement announcement will be the last part of her life she shares online.
"I’ve had my voice and agency taken for so long, and now, I’m putting my foot down," she wrote underneath the post. "I’ll continue to advocate for kids who didn’t have a voice (so you’ll still be seeing me, don’t worry) but this is closure for me. I’m moving on with my life, and that’s true freedom and joy.
"Please respect my privacy and the privacy of my future family, and don’t speculate or pry."
Full timeline of the Ruby Franke case:
Starting a YouTube channel and initial suspicions
Franke started her parenting YouTube channel '8 Passengers' 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."
She 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, and called her actions to their children 'horrific and inhumane'.
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 8 Passengers and ConneXions channels and blocking 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. A court had heard how she had tried to convince her youngest children they were 'evil and possessed'.
Franke and Hildebrandt are sentenced to prison for child abuse
On 20 February 2024, Franke and Hildebrandt were convicted and given four separate prison sentences for one to 15 years, with the length of each sentence decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
During sentencing Franke apologised to her children and said she would 'never stop crying for hurting their tender souls'.
She said: "My willingness to sacrifice all for you was masterfully manipulated into something very ugly.
"I took from you all that was soft and safe and good."
The two women will not serve more than 30 years in a Federal Penitentiary because of a Utah law about consecutive sentences.
Additional words by Anish Vij.
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, US News, YouTube, Ruby Franke
Brenna Cooper