A Timeline of Ruby Franke's Rise and Fall: From Family Vlogger to Convicted Child Abuser

Parenting advice vlogger Ruby Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse

Family vlogger Ruby Franke amassed millions of followers on social media while documenting her family’s life in the lakeside suburb of Springville, Utah, over the years. But now, Franke has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, completing a dramatic fall from grace.

Her public downfall began in 2020, when skeptics of Franke and her husband Kevin Franke’s “8Passengers” page began to grow worried about the Mormon family’s strict household.

Franke initially slammed her critics, according to The Wrap, and remained steadfast about her and her husband’s stern parenting style, sharing videos explaining how she’d take away a child’s bed as punishment or withholding meals as a teaching lesson. Franke, now 42, ultimately stopped posting videos on her controversial “8Passengers” vlog, then joined the“ConneXions” parenting advice podcast with a local Mormon therapist, Jodi Hildebrandt.

The two women roused more backlash across social media by posting videos with their divisive thoughts on parenting, religion, sexuality, race and other social and political issues. Their videos were often mocked or picked apart by critics who used other social media pages to respond directly to the “ConneXions” posts.

When Franke and Hildebrandt, 54, were arrested in August and charged with felony child abuse, those critics, as well as a growing number of family members, friends and neighbors, spoke out, saying the news of the arrests was a long time coming.

Here’s a timeline of the events that led up to Franke and Hildebrandt's arrests, and Franke's subsequent guilty pleas.

Ruby and Kevin Franke Begin ‘8Passengers’ Vlog in 2015

Ruby and her now estranged husband Kevin began documenting their life as parents to six children in 2015, posting vlogs on their now-deleted “8Passengers” YouTube channel. According to Insider, the Franke family amassed about 2.5 million followers on the page, which came under scrutiny around 2020 and was deleted by YouTube in the wake of Franke’s arrest.

Related: Daughter of Vlogger Ruby Franke Reacts After Mom's Arrest — 'Finally' — and Wants to Document Alleged Abuse

Followers Become Suspicious of Abuse and Begin Petitioning Authorities In 2020

In 2020, numerous people signed an online petition asking child protective services to investigate the Franke family.

The petition cited a number of controversial videos that Franke uploaded on her family’s “8Passengers” page, including one in which Franke’s oldest son Chad says his mother took his bed away from him for for seven months after he played a prank on his sibling. “I was sleeping on a beanbag since October,” the teenager tells the camera as his mother laughs.

In another resurfaced clip, Franke records herself explaining, “I just got a text message from Eve’s teacher, and she said that Eve did not pack a lunch today.” Franke then says she told the teacher she’d refuse to bring her then 6-year-old daughter her lunch as a teaching lesson and that “she’s just going to need to be hungry.”

“Hopefully nobody gives her food and nobody steps in and gives her a lunch because then she’s not going to learn from the natural outcome,” Franke tells the camera.

Ruby Stops ‘8Passengers’ Vlog and Joins ConneXions in 2022

Initially, Franke dismissed her critics and told The Wrap in a 2021 interview that she was simply demonstrating “what a responsible mother looks like” with her divisive vlog. However, by the next summer Franke had stopped uploading videos to the channel and announced she was splitting off from the family’s page to join Hildebrandt’s “ConneXions” podcast. The two also began posting under their “Moms of Truth” social media page, which was met with similar criticism for their controversial parenting advice.

YouTube also confirmed to PEOPLE it had taken down the women’s “ConneXions” page, but some resurfaced clips show Franke downplaying the seriousness of eating disorders, blaming rape victims, and criticizing U.S. immigrants alongside Hildebrandt, among other social and political comments that drew the ire of many viewers.

Ruby and Jodi Are Arrested on August 30, 2023

Insider and local KUTV News reported Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges in August 2023. Officers from the Santa Clara Public Safety Department responded to Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah, after a neighbor called 911 to report that Franke’s allegedly “emaciated” 12-year-old son knocked at his door asking for help, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

The boy, who police said had visible wounds and marks from tape around his wrists and ankles, asked the man for food and water. Soon after, police found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter allegedly in “a similar physical condition of malnourishment” inside Hildebrandt’s home. (The children were taken to the hospital and family members have since said they are OK.)

Child protective services took them, plus two older siblings in their teens, into custody after police arrived at Franke’s home in Springville, Utah.

Ruby’s Oldest Daughter Speaks Out: ‘Finally’

On the day of the arrests, Franke’s oldest daughter Shari expressed relief.

“Finally,” Shari, 20, wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of police outside of the family's home.

“Today has been a big day," Shari wrote in another post on Instagram that day. "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."

Related: Police Received Calls About Ruby Franke's Family in 2022: 'Very Concerned About the Children'

Ruby’s 3 Sisters Said Arrest ‘Needed to Happen’

Days later, Franke’s three sisters also spoke out in support of her arrest, sharing a joint statement on social media. “For the last 3 years we have kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Franke for the sake of her children,” the sisters, Ellie Mecham, Julie Griffiths Deru and Bonnie Hoellein wrote in a joint statement. “Behind the public scene we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe.”

The three sisters, who are all also family social media influencers, added: “We wouldn't feel right about moving forward with regular content without addressing the most recent events. Once we do, we will not be commenting on it further. Ruby was arrested, which needed to happen. Jodi was arrested, which needed to happen. The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority.”

Ruby’s Neighbor Describes ‘Red Flags’ But Calls the Allegations 'Shocking'

A neighbor who lived near the Franke family for about five years told PEOPLE about “red flags” that led other families in their affluent, religious neighborhood to contact authorities in the months leading up to Franke’s arrest.

“I think we saw some weird things,” the neighbor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told PEOPLE. “But I don't think anybody thought that these kids were being physically abused to that degree.”

Related: Neighbor Who Called 911 On Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt Tearfully Describes Boy's 'Emaciated' Condition

Ruby and Jodi Are Charged With 6 Felony Count of Child Abuse Each

Nearly a week after their arrests, Franke and Hildebrandt were both charged with six counts of felony child abuse.

Following Franke's guilty plea, Hildebrandt’s attorney Douglas Terry has not said whether his client will take a similar plea deal, according to local KUTV.

YouTube Bans Ruby, Deletes Her Channels

In the aftermath of Franke’s arrest, YouTube deleted the parenting social media influencer’s "8Passengers" and "ConneXions" channels and banned her from the platform.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a YouTube spokesperson said the platform has “terminated two channels linked to Ruby Franke in accordance with our creator responsibility guidelines" and that it was also prepared to delete other channels that might attempt to re-upload Franke's content.

Related: Ruby Franke Was Moved into Medical Block in Jail, Jodi Hildebrandt Has 'Life-Threatening' Health Issue

Related: Sisters of Influencer Mom Ruby Franke Say Her Arrest on Abuse Charges 'Needed to Happen'

Jodi's Niece Alleges Prior Abuse

Hildebrandt’s niece, Jessi Hildebrandt (who uses they/them pronouns) alleged in an interview with KUTV on Sept. 11 that their aunt had abused them while under her care for roughly a year when they were a teenager. Jessi alleged the abuse, which they alleged happened more than 10 years ago, was similar to the reported details about Franke’s children.

“The things that I experienced while living with Jodi — I experienced being tied, I experienced being duct taped, I experienced being blindfolded, I experienced severe isolation, I experienced severe emotional, spiritual and psychological abuse,” Jessi alleged. “I experienced being told I shouldn't be around other people, being told that I was dangerous to be around. People were afraid of me to the point where I was afraid of myself.”

Related: Influencer Mom Ruby Franke's Child Abuse Charges 'Shocked' Neighbor — But She 'Saw Some Weird Things' (Exclusive)

Jessi recalled they were “isolated for up to 12 hours a day” and were once “forced to sleep outside in the snow” while under Jodi’s care, as well as alleging that Jodi “accused me of being a sex addict” and “of being addicted to masturbation.” Jessi decided to speak out about their experience after reading a report last week about Franke's claims of sex abuse within her family.

"I’ve never met Ruby … but the things that she is saying and regurgitating are very, very familiar to me,” Jessi said. “The philosophies and the therapeutic modalities that she is using are Jodi's and these are not new. This is a pattern.”

Kevin Franke Files for Divorce

In late November, Kevin officially filed for divorce from Ruby. According to court records reviewed by PEOPLE at the time, Kevin filed a petition for divorce, which is sealed under Utah law. Also filed was a domestic relations injunction, which orders both Ruby and Kevin not to harass each other or disparage the other in front of their children, according to the court document.

Ruby Blames Jodi's 'Influence' for Abuse

Local Fox 13 reported on Dec. 15 that attorneys from the Winward Law, the firm representing Ruby, had sent a statement saying she had agreed with prosecutors to plead guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in exchange for two others to be dropped. In a statement to the outlet, Ruby's attorneys blamed Jodi for taking "advantage" of her and influencing her to abuse her two youngest children.

“Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrant had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement. Ms. Hildebrant took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous," Franke’s attorneys’ statement to Fox 13 reportedly said.

The attorneys claimed Hildebrandt "systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, older children, and her husband, Kevin Franke. This prolonged isolation resulted in Ms. Franke being subjected to a distorted sense of morality, shaped by Ms. Hildebrandt’s influence."

Ruby Pleads Guilty

Three days after blaming Jodi, Ruby pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that 5th District Judge John J. Walton told the disgraced family vlogger that there "won't be any argument" about whether Ruby would face prison time once she's sentenced.

“With my deepest regret, and sorrow for my family and my children — guilty,” Franke said as she entered her guilty plea on the final count, according to the Tribune.

Ruby and Hildebrandt Sentenced to Prison for Child Abuse

On Feb. 20, Ruby received four separate prison sentences for 1 to 15 years, which will run consecutively, according to TODAY, KSL 5 and KUTV.. The length of each prison sentence will ultimately be decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, according to Utah's Deseret News. However, Ruby will not serve more than 30 years due to a Utah law regarding consecutive sentences, Business Insider reports.

Franke's ex-business partner Jodi Hildebrandt also received the same sentence, according to the outlets.

In court, Franke cried and apologized to her children, according to Business Insider.

"I will never stop crying for hurting your tender souls," she said, per the outlet.

Hildebrandt also apologized at her sentence following Franke's and said she loved Franke's children, according to TODAY.

"I desire for them to heal physically and emotionally," she said, the outlet reported.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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