Ruby Franke, Parenting Expert YouTuber Sent To Prison For Child Abuse

In a statement shared with US media, a lawyer for Franke blamed Hildebrandt for leading Franke "astray". They said in the statement. "Over an extended period, Hildebrandt systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, older children, and her husband, Kevin. This prolonged isolation resulted in Ms Franke being subjected to a distorted sense of morality."

The two were arrested in August 2023 when Franke's 12-year-old son jumped out of a window from Hildebrandt's house to ask for help from a neighbour. He had duct tape on his ankles and wrists, and lacerations, according to the court document. He appeared to be emaciated and malnourished. The child said that Hildebrandt had kept him captive inside the house.

Franke's 10-year-old daughter was also found malnourished and taken to a hospital once authorities were involved. The case now revolves around the two younger children while the four other children were placed in the Utah Division of Child and Family Services custody. 

Eric Clarke, the Washington County attorney, said that Franke and Hildebrandt kept the children in a “concentration camp-like setting" and regularly denied them food or water. Clarke in a statement, "They were isolated from others and were hidden when people came to visit the house. The children were forced to do physical tasks, like carrying boxes up and down stairs and wall sits or sitting against a wall without a chair or a stool for hours at a time."

"They were isolated from others and were hidden when people came to visit the house ... the children were forced to do physical tasks, like carrying ... boxes up and down stairs and wall sits or sitting against a wall without a chair or a stool for hours at a time. Had the child not had the courage to run away and ask a neighbour to call the police, heaven only knows how much longer he could have survived in that situation," Clarke said.

Who Are Ruby Franke, Jodi Hilderbrandt?

Ruby Franke gained popularity in 2015 for documenting her 6 children's lifestyle and sharing parenting tips on her channel called '8 Passengers' on YouTube. The channel is now defunct, but she used to receive backlash for her threatening parenting measures. Franke collaborated with Hilderbrandt several times to share parenting tips. 

Jodi Hilderbrandt runs a life coaching website called Connexions, where Ruby Franke is mentioned as a "certified mental fitness trainer" under the 'business partners' section. However, Franke denied this in Court saying, "Jodi Hildebrandt was never my business partner nor was I employed by her. I have never received wages from her or Connexions. Jodi was employed as my son's counselor in 2019 and in 2020, I paid her to be my mentor. It is important to me to demonstrate my remorse and regret without blame. I take full accountability for my choices and it is my preference that I serve a prison sentence."

During her hearing, Jodi Hilderbrandt allegedly apologised and said, "I sincerely love these children. I desire for them to heal physically and emotionally. One of the reasons I did not go to trial is that I did not want them to emotionally relive the experience which had been detrimental for them. My hope and prayer is that they will heal and move forward to have beautiful lives." Meanwhile, media reporters stated that Franke's older children who were present in Court expressed shock when Hilderbrandt, who abused their siblings, said that.