Ruby Franke and her husband, Kevin Franke, “are still married” despite the momfluencer’s arrest for aggravated child abuse.
The latter’s attorney, Randy S. Kester, confirmed to Pvnew Friday that the pair are still legally a couple.
When asked if Kevin had any plans to split from his wife in wake of the allegations, Fester told us he was “not at liberty to respond about the topic of divorce.”
The Frankes — who used to run the YouTube channel “8 Passengers” — share children Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve.
Ruby, 41, was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated child abuse Wednesday after a child ran to a neighbor’s house for help.
Her ConneXions podcasting partner, Jodi Hildebrandt — who recently posted an eerie video about “victimhood” alongside Ruby — was also taken into custody under the same suspicions.
According to the arrest record obtained by Pvnew, an “emaciated” child with duct tape around their extremities escaped through a window of Hildebrandt’s house to seek food and water.
After authorities arrived, they deemed the child to be in “severe” condition and sent the victim to the hospital, where they were placed on a medical hold “due to deep lacerations from being tied up with rope.”
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.
When officers went inside the home, they discovered another child in “a similar physical condition of malnourishment.”
The police report stated that Ruby had filmed a video in Hildebrandt’s home just days before the incident, indicating that the former had “knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment and neglect.”
Since then, four of the Franke children have been placed in the custody of the Department of Child and Family Services.
After the arrests made headlines, Kevin’s lawyer told Pvnew on Thursday that his client’s “urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care.”
Many people close to Ruby have since come forward about the alleged abuse — including the couple’s oldest daughter, Shari.
Shari, who is estranged from her mother, reassured her followers that her siblings were doing OK and called the arrest “a big day” for their family.
“Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” she wrote via her Instagram Story. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
Ruby’s sisters also released a joint statement saying the arrest “needed to happen” and explained that they kept quiet about Ruby’s alleged abuse for “3 years” 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,” they wrote, noting that the “kids are now safe.”
Ruby and Kevin’s Youtube channel had surpassed 2.5 million followers before it was deleted amid backlash over the pair’s parenting style.
Followers of the family and internet sleuths alike have long accused Ruby of abuse.
Back in 2020, the mother of six raised eyebrows after she admitted to forcing her now-18-year-old son to sleep on a beanbag for seven months as a form of punishment.
She also once refused to bring her then-6-year-old daughter lunch at school after the little one forgot to pack it herself.
“I just got a text message from Eve’s teacher, and she said that Eve did not pack a lunch today,” Ruby said in a since-deleted video.
But instead of bringing her food, Ruby decided to teach her kindergartener a lesson by making her starve.
“So the natural outcome is she is just going to have to go hungry,” she said at the time.
“My hope is she will be hungry and come home and be like, ‘That was really painful being hungry all day. I’ll make sure to always have a lunch with me.’”
Ruby — who faces up to 15 years in prison for each count — declined to speak to authorities and has yet to release a statement.
