Family vlogger Ruby Franke arrested on suspicion of aggravated child abuse

Ruby Franke, the mom from the popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers has reportedly been arrested for suspected aggravated child abuse in Springville, Utah.

Ruby Franke is best known for her previous family change, 8 Passengers, where the family vlogged their lives and posted fun videos on YouTube that often went viral.

However, on August 30, 2023, Fox13 reported that “8 Passengers” mother Ruby Franke was arrested, along with Jodi Hildebrandt, founder of the parent counseling service ConneXions, for two counts of aggravated child abuse. 

Franke is currently listed on the Washington County Sheriff’s Office’s website as “in custody” after being arrested at 9:33 p.m. on August 30 in Springville, Utah.

It is currently not known what will happen next with the case, or what happened.

Who is Ruby Frankie?

Ruby Franke is 41-year-old YouTuber who grew up in Utah. She was one of the main contributors to her family channel. 8 Passengers, and gained fame by sharing family videos that showcased the day-to-day life of the family.

8 Passengers was a YouTube vlogging channel. Its founders were Ruby and Kevin Franke, a Mormon couple with six children – Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. 

8 Passengers, YouTube

The channel at its peak had around 2.5 million subscribers, however, things took a turn in 2020 after a series of allegations raised concerns among the fanbase. In one deleted video, the couple’s 15-year-old son revealed he had been forced to sleep on the floor in the family room for 7 months after pulling a prank on his younger brother.

Investigative YouTube channels then started looking through other historical content the Franke’s had uploaded and found what they believed to be more evidence.

In one video, Franke said she wouldn’t bring a packed lunch in for her daughter Eve, who was just 6 years old at the time, because the child forgot to pick it up before school. This led to allegations that Franke was starving her daughter.

The Frankes continued posting videos on their channel for a while, but they couldn’t shake the allegations. Uploads became more sporadic until they ceased altogether. The channel has now been removed.