Mormon YouTuber mother of six Ruby Franke faces child molestation charges after two children were found starving with open wounds and duct tape on their limbs
A Mormon YouTuber has been arrested on suspicion of child molestation after a child was discovered with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities.
Ruby Franke, who ran the now-defunct channel 8 Passengers, was arrested in Utah along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.
Both are accused of child abuse and have previously been criticized for their teachings on parenting – in conjunction with Hildebrandt’s life counseling service ConneXions.
The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Security Department 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.
Ruby Franke, (left) who ran the now-defunct channel 8 Passengers, was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right)
After the investigation, four minor children were taken into the care of the Child and Family Service and two were rushed to hospital. It has not been confirmed whether they were Franke’s children
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.”
Police confirmed that there was “evidence consistent with the markings found on the young person” at the home.
As a result of the investigation, four minor children have been placed in the care of Kind en Gezin. It has not been confirmed whether the children were related to either woman.
Both Franke and Hildebrant remain in the custody of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
Franke is known for her strict parenting style on the channel, stopping uploading footage in January 2022.
She amassed over 2.2 million subscribers for documenting their daily social media efforts.
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.
This is a development story.