(NewsReady.com) – Ruby Franke was once a wildly popular vlogger known for her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers. The channel had more than 1 billion views and millions of subscribers. The 42-year-old mother of six saw her life crash down when she was accused of child abuse. She has now pleaded guilty to several charges and received a sentence.
In August 2023, Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped through a window of the home of Jodi Hildebrandt, the vlogger’s business partner. The boy ran to a neighbor’s house and asked for water and food. According to reports, he had open wounds from being tied up with ropes and looked malnourished. Law enforcement in Ivins, Utah, searched Hildebrandt’s home and found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter in a similar emaciated state.
Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in December 2023. Later that month, Hildebrandt also pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.
During the sentencing hearing on February 20, Washington County attorney Eric Clarke accused Franke of creating a “concentration camp-like setting” for her children from May to August 2023. The New York Times reported that he went on to say she refused to give them water, food, beds, and entertainment and kept them isolated from others.
The former parenting vlogger also forced the kids outside in extreme heat without protection on their feet or water. For example, they had to stand on the hot concrete during the summer without any socks or shoes for hours or sometimes days.
They were bound by their feet and hands, then they were beaten. One of the kids suffered injuries that were so severe that they had to be hospitalized.
A judge sentenced Franke to four consecutive prison sentences of one to 15 years each. Hildebrandt received the same prison sentence. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine the exact sentence each woman will receive.
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