Ruby Franke has plead guilty. The disgraced YouTube vlogger will face prison time after copping to four counts of child abuse.
Franke, a Utahn and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, shared her family life on a YouTube channel called 8 Passengers. Though the Frankes — Ruby, husband Kevin, and their six children — reached more than two million subscribers, their videos attracted controversy due to Ruby’s harsh treatment of her two youngest kids.
Legal documents allege that the Franke matriarch inflicted “physical torture” on her son Russell and “severe emotional harm” on her daughter Eve. Among other punishments, Franke made her children perform hours of hard labor, forced them to sleep outside, and withheld food and water from them for days at a time. She attempted to justify those punishments by claiming that her children were possessed by evil forces and in need of repentance.
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As Franke’s misdeeds became public, a Change.org petition called for a public investigation into her behavior. On August 31, 2023, the 41-year-old vlogger and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested. The 8 Passengers channel has since been deleted, and Kevin Franke has filed for divorce.
Franke initially faced six counts of child abuse, but two of those charges were dropped as part of her plea deal. She agreed to testify against Hildebrandt, who she alleges “took advantage” of her and led her to develop “a distorted sense of morality.”
This is not the first time that a prominent YouTube family vlogger has been credibly accused of child abuse. In 2018, YouTube terminated channels related to DaddyOFive after the parents behind that brand — Mike and Heather Martin — appeared to play cruel pranks on their children. A few months later, Machelle Hackney of Fantastic Adventures faced seven counts of child abuse perpetrated against her adopted children.
Franke’s behavior will earn her jail time. As part of her guilty plea, she agreed to multiple prison sentences, which she will serve consecutively. Her sentencing is set for February 20, 2024.
