The momfluencer behind one of YouTube’s most famous channels has been arrested in Utah under suspicion of two counts of aggravated child abuse.
“8 Passengers” host Ruby Franke is listed as “in custody” on the Washington County Sheriff’s Office website after being taken into custody on Aug. 30.
Her business partner and ConneXions co-founder, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also arrested that day under the same suspicions.
In Utah, the definition of aggravated child abuse includes starvation, broken bones, head injuries from hitting or shaking and suffocation.
If intentionally inflicted, the perpetrator faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
Franke’s sisters released a joint statement to social media following the arrest, stating justice “needed to happen.”
“For the last 3 years we have kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Franke for the sake of her children. Behind the public scene we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe,” the statement began.
The siblings said they “wouldn’t feel right” about posting “regular content” without addressing Franke’s arrest.
“Ruby was arrested which needed to happen. Jodi was arrested which needed to happen,” the statement continued.
“The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority.”
Franke’s estranged daughter Shari also posted a photo to her Instagram Story of police outside of her mother’s home and wrote, “Finally.”
She added a second Story in which she said she and her family were “glad” Ruby was taken away.
“Today has been a big day. Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” Shari wrote. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
Shari, 20, noted that the “kids are safe” but acknowledged that there’s a “long road ahead.”
Ruby Franke arrest: What you need to know
Ruby Franke was a “momfluencer” who had one of YouTube’s biggest channels, “8 Passengers,” which documented her and her husband, Kevin, and their six kids.
Franke was arrested on Aug. 30, 2023, on two counts of aggravated child abuse and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Franke’s arrest came after an emaciated child with duct tape around their extremities escaped and ran to a neighbor’s house for help.
Franke’s sisters released a joint statement saying they did everything they could to protect their nieces and nephews “behind the public scene” and that the arrest “needed to happen.”
Through a lawyer, Franke’s husband denied having any part in the abuse.
Franke in court accused one of her own children of sexually abusing a sibling for years.
YouTube has deleted Franke’s account and banned her from the platform.
The “8 Passengers” channel, which at one point had about 2.5 million subscribers, followed the lives of Ruby; her husband, Kevin Franke; and their six children: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve.
As for Kevin, he told us via his attorney, Randy S. Kester, that his “urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care.”
Rumors of child abuse began circulating in 2020 when Chad shared on the vlog that his bedroom had been taken away after he played pranks on his younger brother.
The speculation worsened once Ruby admitted in a video that she wouldn’t bring her daughter Eve, who was 6 years old at the time, a packed lunch to school because she had forgotten it at home.
The Franke family told Insider that they were teaching their kids about the consequences of their actions and blamed viewers for stirring up “drama.”
The publication obtained a letter from the Division of Child and Family Services that said the case against the Frankes had been closed because the allegations were unsubstantiated; however, the famous family couldn’t shake the rumors.
What was once a prolific channel quickly turned into a desolate space, and eventually, it was removed from YouTube altogether.
Ruby and Hildebrandt, a therapist whose license was suspended after she talked about a patient’s “porn addiction” at her Mormon church, founded ConneXions in June 2022 and was immediately accused of being a “cult.”
The YouTube channel for ConneXions, which is still live as is the company’s website, promises to help people “successfully navigate life.” The group also says it’s meant to be a “mom’s support group,” but videos published by Ruby and Hildebrandt advise parents not to love their children unconditionally.
In September 2022, Shari spoke out against “the extreme beliefs” of ConneXions.
“Please know that many are working on this situation, and I hope one day we can be whole again,” Shari wrote on Instagram at the time.
“Please respect my privacy, as I work through my own healing as well.”
