A Mormon YouTuber’s husband is “trying to keep his kids together” as the mother of six is arrested for child molestation after two children were found starving with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities.
Ruby Franke, 41, known for her YouTube channel 8 Passengers, was taken into custody earlier this week along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt on suspicion of two charges of aggravated child abuse.
Franke shares six children with husband Kevin Franke: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve.
Mr. Franke’s lawyer, Randy S.Kester, said when speaking to Page Six that his client’s “urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his paternal care.”
After an investigation by the police, four minor children have been placed with the Children’s and Family Service. It has not been confirmed whether the children were related to either woman.
Kevin Franke (right) has said his ‘urgent focus’ is to keep his six children, whom he shares with former YouTuber Ruby Franke (left), together in the care of
Mormon YouTuber Ruby Franke (pictured with her daughters) was taken into custody earlier this week on suspicion of two cases of aggravated child abuse
According to an arrest file, a child fled through a window of Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins and went to a neighbor who then called the police.
The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Security Department in Utah arrested the two women at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday after a report of a youth in distress.
Authorities said the child was described as “emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around the extremities” and asked for food and water.
In a statement, they said: ‘The condition of the young person was so serious that they were seen by Santa Clara-Irvin ambulance crew and transported to a local hospital.
“The police have received information that there may be other young people in a similar condition in a nearby home.
Officers arrived at the home and searched the residence, finding another youth in a similar physical state of malnutrition.
They were also transported by paramedics for hospital treatment. According to police, the home contained “evidence consistent with the markings found on the young person.”
Both Franke and Hildebrandt remain in the custody of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
Franke (seen with her husband) is known for her strict parenting style on the channel, for which she stopped uploading footage in January 2022. It was removed earlier this year.
Ruby, her husband, and their six children rose to fame in 2015 after she began sharing videos on YouTube that gave a glimpse into her life as a Mormon mother of six.
Frake’s estranged eldest daughter Shari, 20, revealed in April that she had lost contact with her mother.
She posted about her mother’s arrest on Instagram and shared a photo of police officers outside the house with the caption “Finally.”
Shari added, “Today was a big day. Me and my family are so happy that justice is being served.
“We’ve been trying to tell the police and the CPS about this for years, and we’re so glad they’ve finally decided to act.
‘Children are safe, but there is still a long way to go. Please keep them in your prayers and respect their privacy too.”
Franke’s eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted about her mother’s arrest on Instagram and shared a photo of police officers outside the house with the caption ‘Finally’
Franke came under fire in July for revealing that her then six-year-old daughter Eve had been ‘going hungry’ because the little girl had failed to prepare her own lunch for school
Franke’s two sisters said the arrests “had to happen” and said they had done everything they could over the past three years to make sure the children were safe.
Franke is known for her strict parenting style on the channel, where she stopped uploading footage in January 2022. It was removed earlier this year.
When asked why she left YouTube months later on ConneXions, she said she chose to stop uploading videos because she wanted to “save her kids.”
Franke amassed over 2.2 million subscribers for documenting their daily social media endeavors along with her husband Kevin.
The mother-of-six came under fire in July after footage surfaced of her allowing her daughter Eve, 6, to go hungry because she forgot to make her own lunch.
Franke’s eldest child, Shari (seen in May), revealed in April that she had lost contact with her mother
In a video posted to YouTube in February 2020, Ruby explained that she received a text message from her daughter’s teacher, stating that the youngster had nothing to eat for lunch.
She said that all her children are responsible for preparing their own lunch in the morning, so she wouldn’t bring food for Eve because she wanted to teach her a lesson.
Franke said, “My hope (is) she’ll be hungry and come home and say ‘that was really painful to be hungry all day.’ I’ll make sure I always have lunch with me.’
“The natural outcome is that she’ll just have to go hungry.”