A FORMER YouTube family content creator has been arrested on claims of child abuse about eight months after her popular channel was mysteriously taken down.
Influencer and mother Ruby Franke used to run the 8 Passengers page on the social media platform, which followed the day-to-day lives of herself, her husband Kevin, and their six kids in Utah.
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The channel garnered about 2.5million subscribers at its peak popularity but disappeared entirely earlier this year for reasons that are still unclear, per Insider.
Rumors about what happened with the 8 Passengers channel have been circulating online since then.
On Wednesday night, Franke was arrested alongside her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, per what the Washington County Sheriff's Office confirmed to The U.S. Sun.
Police said the pair, who recently created the parent counseling service ConneXions, were taken into custody for "intentionally or knowingly committing aggravated child abuse."
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The alleged situation took place at around 9.33pm at the Franke's residence in Springville, about 50 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, per local outlet KSTU.
An updated arrest record noted that an "emaciated" child escaped through the window of Hildebrandt's house in Ivins, Utah, well over 200 miles south of Springville, per Page Six.
They then asked a neighbor for food and water, and the homeowner noticed duct tape on the child's ankles and wrists.
"The calling party stated the juvenile appeared to be emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around the extremities,” police told the publication.
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Officers at the scene claimed the conditions of the child were so "severe" that they were taken to a local hospital.
The child was then put on medical hold "due to deep lacerations from being tied up with rope,” according to authorities.
The documents provided to Page Six also stated that another child was discovered soon after in a similar state and taken to the hospital as well.
They also stated that Franke was later arrested at the residence in Springville due to a video she allegedly filmed in Hildebrandt's house days earlier, seemingly giving her "knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment, and neglect.”
Franke reportedly declined to speak to cops and requested a lawyer.
It was reported that the Springville Fire Department was also called to the residence about six hours earlier for a Mutual Aid incident at the home.
Mutual Aid, as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), occurs when "one party provides resources—personnel, teams, facilities, equipment, and supplies—to another party."
It's unclear what exactly caused the need for additional resources at the Franke residence that afternoon and if the arrests later Wednesday evening are related.
On the Washington County Sheriff's Office website, Franke and Hildebrandt remain in custody.
Criticisms against Franke's parenting of her children — Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve — have been popping up online since 2020, according to Insider.
Child abuse rumors started the summer of the same year when Chad allegedly had his entire room taken away from him after playing pranks on his younger brother.
The young Franke family member made the claim in a vlog and noted that he was sleeping on a bean bag instead.
Several YouTube channels started making their investigations into the 8 Passengers content and made connections to what they claimed was more evidence of child abuse.
In another clip, Franke refused to bring another lunch for her daughter, Eve, who was six at the time, because she forgot to grab it on her way to school.
Some social media users took this action to be a parent starving their child.
The Franke couple started taking notice of the claims of child abuse and argued strongly against it, accusing investigative channels of causing "drama."
They also said that it was a method to teach their kids the consequences of their actions and they offer them "choices," per an interview they gave to Insider in June 2020.
The publication even obtained a letter from The Division of Child and Family Services at the time that said a case against the Franke family was closed due to unsupported claims of child abuse.
8 Passengers continued for some time with less frequent vlog postings but was eventually removed from YouTube altogether.
Franke resurfaced online in June 2022 with Hildebrandt as part of their ConneXions channel.
Hildebrandt is a therapist, but her license was put on probation in January 2012 by the Utah Clinical Mental Health Counselor Licensing Board, per the Salt Lake Tribune.
She allegedly revealed the details of a client's "porn addiction" at the Mormon church she attended without their permission.
The anonymous client claimed that Hildebrandt had an "agenda to destroy my life."
According to Hildebrandt's lawyer, Robert Harrison, her license was again "active, and her practice has and will continue without interruption," per an email provided to the publication.
Hildebrandt did not provide comment on the situation but admitted that she violated the code of ethics set by the American Counseling Association, according to an order from the Utah Division of Professional Licensing obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune.
When ConneXions went live, its website described itself as a motherly support group that helps "treat those lost and stranded in the darkness of distortion — which addictions, fear, sadness, and all other self-destructive behaviors derive from."
ConneXions' videos have reportedly suffered significant criticism from viewers online.
In one clip, the pair reportedly vocalized their thoughts on parents not loving their children unconditionally, not listening to them, and not giving them privacy.
YouTube and TikTok clips have since circulated to millions of viewers that allegedly represent Franke's harsh household rules.
Her eldest daughter, Shari, also posted to Instagram in 2022 that she was not on speaking terms with the family in a story.
Shari claimed she was "not in contact with my immediate family" and was against "the extreme beliefs" of her mother and Hildebrandt's channel.
When Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on Wednesday, Shari took to her Instagram story once again, showing pictures of police cars at the residence.
All she wrote was "finally," in one clip, and then in another, "Today has been a big day."
"Me and my family are so glad justice is being served," she continued.
"We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."
It's unclear where other family members are at this time, including Franke's husband, Kevin, whose Instagram account is no longer active.
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If charged with intentional aggravated child abuse in the state of Utah, Franke and Hildebrandt could face up to 15 years behind bars and a $10,000 fine, per Wasatch Defense Lawyers.
The U.S. Sun has contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office, ConneXions, and Shari for additional comment on the arrests.
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