The Dark Side of Ruby Franke: Daughter and family says mother was reported to police for abuse years before arrest
IVINS, UTAH: The family of Ruby Franke, 41, a momfluencer and a mother-of-six from Utah, who is known for her now defunct YouTube channel '8 Passengers,' has revealed that she was reported to the police for child abuse years before her arrest.
The Mormon YouTuber was arrested on suspicion of two counts of aggravated child abuse after two children were found ducttapped and starved with open wounds with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt on Wednesday, August 30.
How were Ruby Franke's children found?
Franke's children were found after on of them climbed out of the window of a home and reached out to a neighbour asking for food and water.
The neighbor noticed the child's wounds and immediately contacted 911 before another child was discovered "in a similar physical condition of malnourishment" Daily Mail reports.
The juveniles were described as "emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around the extremities," the report stated.
"The condition of the juvenile was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara-Ivins EMS and transported to a local area hospital," stated a press release.
Franke's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also arrested on the same charges, as per NBC.
They frequently worked together to produce parenting and relationship guidance videos for Hildebrandt's ConneXions life counseling service.
The police report allegedly stated that Ruby, 41, 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.”
Ruby Franke's daughter Shari says they tried to report the abuse for years
The estranged daughter of accused child abuser Ruby Franke has now claimed that they are happy that the police has finally acted though they had tried to tell them about it years ago.
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In an Instagram post, Franke, 20, as reported by Daily Mail, wrote "finally" as she said they have been trying to tell police and CPS "for years about this" and that they are "glad they finally decided to step up."
She also said that Connexions and 'Moms of Truth' need to go and ask people to report their accounts.
Why did Ruby Franke's family choose to kept quite ?
It was due to Ruby Franke's children that her family kept quite about the subject.
Ruby Franke's sisters llie Mecham, Bonnie Hoellein, and Julie Deru shared a statement on their respective Instagram accounts.
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The statement read, "For the last three years, we have kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Franke for the sake of her children."
The statement continued, "Behind the public scene, we have done everything we could to try and make sure the children were safe."
The sisters, who are also YouTubers, said, "We wouldn't feel right about moving forward with regular content without addressing the most recent events."
"Once we do, we will not be commenting on it further. Ruby was arrested, which needed to happen. Jodi was arrested, which needed to happen. The children are now safe, which is the number one priority."
Where are Ruby Franke's children now?
Franke's six children Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve are presently with their father Kevin Franke.
He said he is "trying to keep his children together" following the arrests.
Randy S Kester, Kevin's attorney, told Page Six on Thursday that his client’s “urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care.”
Four of Franke's children will soon be in the care of the Department of Child and Family Services.
Aggravated child abuse includes starvation, broken bones, head injuries from hitting or shaking and suffocation.
If intentionally inflicted, the abuser can be charged up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.