Who is Ruby Franke? 8 Passengers YouTube mom arrested for child abuse

Ruby Franke, the mother from divisive YouTube family channel ‘8 Passengers,’ has been arrested on two counts of aggravated child abuse. Here’s everything we know so far.

Family channels have long been a subject of debate online, with many netizens discussing the ethics of filming one’s young children without their consent for the entire world to see, using their important milestones for content.

For instance, two parents came under fire for filming themselves vlogging their child’s report card back in 2020, while other channels like the Ace Family have faced criticism for similar instances in the past.

Now, another family channel is facing serious scrutiny after the mother, Ruby Franke, was arrested on suspicion of child abuse.

Who is Ruby Franke from 8 Passengers?

41-year-old Ruby Franke is a mom of six children: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. Both she and her husband, Kevin Franke, are Mormon, and together founded their now-deleted family channel 8 Passengers back in 2015.

8 Passengers followed the Franke family throughout their daily lives, and amassed over 2.3 million subscribers before speculation started gathering around their activities around 2020.

During this time, Ruby and Kevin Franke began to be suspected of mistreating their children. The criticism first sparked after their son claimed his bedroom had been “taken away” for seven months for pulling a prank on his little brother, leaving him to sleep on a beanbag for nearly half a year.

Over time, the family began posting less frequently, and more and more accusations came to light about the Franks. The couple became closely connected to ConneXions, a family counseling service, where they gave parenting advice that many saw as abusive.

For instance, in one of ConneXions’ videos, they allegedly claimed they’d pulled their children out of school and gave them no Christmas gifts as punishment for “acting selfish.”

On August 30, 2023, it was reported that both Ruby and ConneXions founder Jodi Hildebrandt had been arrested on two counts of aggravated child abuse each.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office stated that the two women were taken into custody for “intentionally or knowingly committing aggravated child abuse,” as per Fox 13.

According to NBC news, the arrest was made after a child had escaped from a home in Ivins, Utah and ran to a neighbor for help. They were described as malnourished and with open wounds, with duct tape covering their extremities. Another child was also found in the same home in a similar condition – a home belonging to Jodi Hildebrandt.

Since the arrest, 20-year-old Shari Franke has taken to her Instagram account to make several statements about the situation, notably posting a photo of a police car and an officer, writing: “Finally.”

Instagram: officialsharifranke

“Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” she wrote in another post. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they decided to finally step up. Kids are safe, but there’s a long road ahead.”

At the time of writing, no other information has come to light about Franke’s arrest — but we’ll make sure to keep you updated on the situation right here at Dexerto.