Ruby Franke hid extreme child abuse behind a popular family vlogging persona until a son’s escape exposed her crimes.
However, a dark reality was hidden and would later shock everyone. August 30, 2023, changed everything when a thin, twelve-year-old boy escaped a house. He had wounds and duct tape on him and begged a neighbor for help.
The boy climbed out a window and ran to the police station. Authorities called it a “house of horrors.” As a result, Ruby Franke faced child abuse charges, and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also charged. A new Hulu documentary tells the rest of the story.
Franke became famous in 2015 when family vlogging was popular. She was a Mormon mom with six kids. Strict discipline was her parenting approach, and many parents wanted her advice to make their kids self-reliant.
In time, her parenting became controversial as people questioned her strict methods, such as withholding food as punishment because she thought a child wouldn’t learn without it. Another time, she took away dinner for play-fighting.
In 2020, her son slept on a beanbag for months as punishment for pranks because Franke said that he couldn’t manage a bedroom. She offered him other sleeping options, but people started a petition demanding an investigation.
Her old videos reappeared, and people discussed her harsh parenting. Franke dismissed the criticism as hate, proclaiming that she wasn’t a child abuser. Her husband, Kevin, disagreed with some things, and his lawyer said they lived apart.
Later, Kevin filed for divorce and expressed that he wanted the maximum sentence for her. He called the abuse “horrific.” In 2022, 8 Passengers disappeared from YouTube, but Franke still used social media.
On social media, Franke wrote about the children’s punishments, mentioning “Satanic choices,” and blaming “the devil.” She poked kids with cactus needles, poured cold water on them, and whipped them with towels.
She forced them to stand in the sun, dunked her son in the pool, and made the kids sleep on the floor sometimes. She restricted their food often. She and Hildebrandt had a platform called ConneXions and used it to preach extreme discipline.
They called it “truth.” The Moms of Truth Instagram condemned socializing and even condemned exercise as “coping.” Their rhetoric became harsh. Prosecutors said the abuse increased. Franke’s daughter, Shari, reacted to the arrest.
Shari wrote, “Justice is being served.” She claimed she had tried to warn authorities. Now, Shari, Chad, and Kevin share their story in the documentary, which has unseen footage and shows the hidden side of 8 Passengers.
In 2024, Franke apologized in court. She said she thought wrong was right. Both she and Hildebrandt got four to 60 years. Her children face a long recovery. Shari said they have a long road ahead to rebuild.
Kevin is still married as he hasn’t finalized the divorce yet. They are still working on a settlement. He said he still loves Ruby and remembers the good times they had together.
However, they do not communicate anymore. He asked her to stop writing from prison as her actions hurt the kids and him.