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Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Chad W Franke
Topics: Ruby Franke, YouTube
James Moorhouse
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Ruby Franke's oldest son has shared a heartwarming update just one year on from his mother's sentencing.
Chad Franke, the oldest child of the convicted child abuser, has had some special news confirmed after his sister Shari posted on social media recently.
He and his other five siblings were subjected to some horrific abuse at the hands of their mother, who gained online fame thanks to her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, where she shared content about her family, which accumulated over a billion views.
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However, her channel was later deleted in 2023 when she was first arrested, with her estranged husband, Kevin, later giving evidence against her in the Hulu documentary Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.
On the day of her arrest, one child was discovered by a neighbour with visible duct tape marks around his ankles, while his sister was found in a similarly hurt and malnourished state at the house of Jodi Hildebrandt, whom Franke had an unusual relationship with after appearing on her controversial podcast in 2022.
After her arrest, Shari wrote: “Today has been a big day. 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."
Thankfully, she provided a far more positive update recently, as she confirmed that her oldest brother Chad had gotten married, four months on from him officially confirming his engagement to Kam Anderson.
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"Guys," Shari wrote in an Instagram Stories post alongside a throwback pic of her younger brother, "can you believe this dude got married today."
Shari, 22, followed that up with a more recent snap of Chad, calling him her "bestie forever" as she embraced her new sister-in-law.
"Welcome to our crazy family @glowwithkamm @kamryn_.a," she said. "You guys are gonna DIE over their pics!"
While your own mother would perhaps be the first on a guest list for any potential wedding, it's unlikely that Ruby will make an appearance, given that she was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison last year.
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However, she did wish her offspring the best during a court hearing in 2024, saying: "To my babies, you are a part of me. I believed dark was light and right was wrong. I would do anything in this world for you."
Chad had previously described the proposal as the 'best day I've ever had', and it's fantastic to see him out enjoying his life after going through so much when he was younger.
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.