41-year-old Ruby Franke, a mother and well-known vlogger from Utah, was apprehended this week after being accused of binding her two children up with duct tape. She is then said to have starved and abused them, causing one of them to escape through a window to a neighbor’s residence. There, the child begged for food and water.
On Wednesday, Franke, famous for her “8 Passengers” YouTube channel, was apprehended and charged with two counts of second-degree felony aggravated child abuse.
Additionally, Jodi Hilderbrandt, Franke’s business partner, was also taken into custody for his role in the children’s treatment. He also owns the residence where the two girls who were abused reside.
Authorities had first been alerted about the situation when the neighbor contacted them, detailing that a child had come to their door, pleading for food and water. The caller stated that the children seemed “emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around the extremeties.”
The 12-year-old girl who had escaped from the home had injuries that were so severe that she had to be taken to a medical facility for treatment.
After learning that there was another child in the home, authorities located a 10-year-old girl with similar conditions after obtaining a search warrant.
The Department of Services was contacted, and the children were taken from the home and placed in DCFS custody.
Franke and Hilderbrandt remain in custody at the Washington County Jail without bond.
Her YouTube Channel, “8 Passengers,” had up to 2 million followers at some point. It featured Franke, her husband, and their six kids. But, after allegations of child abuse and other neglect, the channel was taken down at the beginning of this year.
Sick people