Jump to content

Ruby Franke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.178.194.58 (talk) at 22:03, 15 September 2023. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ruby Franke (born in 1981 or 1982)[1][2] is a former American family vlogger who ran the now defunct YouTube channel called 8 Passengers. On August 30, 2023, she was arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse.

Career

In early 2015, Franke created a YouTube channel called 8 Passengers in which she documented her family life in Utah with her husband, Kevin, and their six children.[3][4][5] She originally posted five days a week at 6:00 AM.[3] As of June 2020, the channel had almost 2.5 million subscribers;[6][7] it amassed 1 billion views.[8]

Beginning in 2020, when one of Franke's sons said that he had been banned from his bedroom and made to sleep on a bean bag for seven months, viewers became concerned about Franke's disciplinary methods, which also included withholding food,[4][7] sending a child to a wilderness camp for troubled teens, threatening to behead a stuffed toy, and telling two children that Santa Claus would not be bringing them anything for Christmas that year because they were too "numb" to respond to other punishments.[5] A Change.org petition was launched reporting perceived child abuse and neglect.[4][5][7][9] Ruby and Kevin Franke posted in defense of the discipline, saying the incidents had been taken out of context.[6] The 8 Passengers YouTube channel declined in popularity in 2021,[4] and was removed sometime in 2023.[1]

In the early 2020s, Franke began working as a mental health coach at ConneXions, a company run by Jodi Nan Hildebrandt, a counselor.[2][5][9] They launched a new video channel together in 2022[10] and partnered in an Instagram account called Moms of Truth[10] and in offering parenting classes.[4]

Arrest and charges

On August 30, 2023, Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in Ivins, Utah, and on September 1 both were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, a felony.[1][2][4][5][11][12] According to a statement from the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department, Franke's 12-year-old son, who appeared emaciated and had "open wounds and duct tape around the extremities", had climbed through a window of Hildebrandt's house and asked at a neighboring house for food and water.[1][2][4][11] Emergency services found Franke's 10-year-old daughter in the house, also malnourished; both children were taken to a hospital, where the boy was treated for severe malnourishment and "deep lacerations from being tied up with rope".[1][5] A search of the house found evidence "consistent with the markings" on the 12-year-old, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services took the boy and girl and two more of Franke's children into care.[1][2]

Franke and Hildebrandt are being held without bail. Initial virtual hearings for both were held on September 8, 2023 in St. George, Utah; a second hearing is scheduled for September 21.[13][14]

YouTube later said that after her arrest, Franke had been banned from the platform and two channels linked to her had been deleted.[15]

Personal life

The Frankes are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[3][4] Their oldest daughter has stated that she has long disapproved of her mother's parenting strategies.[2][4] Franke has three sisters who are also parenting influencers;[2][3][4] they disassociated themselves from her actions in a joint statement[2][4][10] and later in individual videos.[16] A lawyer for Kevin Franke has said that the couple have been separated since 2022.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Ruby Franke: '8 Passengers' parenting mum arrested on child abuse suspicion". BBC News. September 1, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Tumin, Remy (September 1, 2023). "Host of YouTube Parenting Channel Is Charged With Child Abuse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Christensen, Megan Marsden (January 16, 2016). "Springville mother documents family life on popular YouTube channel". KSL.com. Deseret Digital Media. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ables, Kelsey; Bellware, Kim (September 1, 2023). "What to know about Ruby Franke, parenting YouTuber charged with child abuse". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Hanson, Amy Beth (September 1, 2023). "Parenting advice YouTuber Ruby Franke charged with aggravated child abuse of 2 of her 6 children". Associated Press. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Dodgson, Lindsay (June 25, 2020). "These YouTuber parents are speaking out after drama channels and TikTokers accused them of being abusive to their children and had child protective services visit their house". Business Insider. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Walrath-Holdridge, Mary (September 1, 2023). "Who is Ruby Franke? 8 Passengers family vlogger arrested on child abuse charges". USA Today. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  8. ^ "8 Passengers YouTube Channel statistics". July 31, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Tolentino, Daysia; Rosenblatt, Kalhan (August 31, 2023). "Who is Ruby Franke, the mom of the '8 Passengers' YouTube channel arrested on abuse charges?". NBC News Pop Culture. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d Bubalo, Mattea (September 9, 2023). "Ruby Franke and 8 passengers: The rise and fall of a parenting influencer". BBC News. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Sole, Elise (September 1, 2023). "YouTuber mom Ruby Franke arrested and charged in child abuse investigation". Today.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Olson, Emily (September 6, 2023). "YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke formally charged with 6 felony counts of child abuse". NPR.
  13. ^ Rissman, Kelly (September 10, 2023). "Ruby Franke virtual court hearing on child abuse charges is derailed by tech issues". The Independent. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Hanson, Amy Beth (September 8, 2023). "Parenting advice YouTuber Ruby Franke and business partner to remain jailed on child abuse charges". Associated Press. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Neumann, Sean (September 6, 2023). "YouTube Bans Ruby Franke, Deletes Her Channels Following Arrest and Child Abuse Charges". People. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Yang, Angela (September 14, 2023). "'We did not know what they were doing': Ruby Franke's sisters share new video statements". NBC News.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ruby_Franke&oldid=1175562019"