Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series living up to its title in almost every way imaginable, Hulu’s ‘The Age of Influence’ can only be described as equal parts bewildering, emotional, haunting, and powerful. That’s because it carefully shines a light upon the dark side of online influencer culture by examining those matters wherein public figures broke all bounds to continue expanding their saga. Amongst it is actually the alleged child abuse scandal involving suburban mother Machelle Hobson — yet for now, if you just wish to learn more about her kids, we’ve got the details for you.
Who Are Machelle Hobson’s Kids?
While there’s no denying Machelle became known as “YouTube Mom” following her 2019 arrest for apparent negligence towards her seven adopted children, she had four biological ones too. They are Logan Hackney (1991), Ryan Hackney (1993), an unidentified third-born older daughter, and Megan Hobson (1999), whom she seemingly never severely hurt, violated, or punished. However, things changed after the Maricopa, Arizona, resident began fostering around the late 2000s, only to end up taking seven youngsters under her wing for good (aged 2 to 15 in 2019).
We say things changed because the Arizona Department of Child Safety (AZDCS) was contacted at least 10 times between 2011 and 2019 about the reported abuse in the Hobson household. But alas, they found these claims without definitive evidence every single time despite the fact it was teachers, daycare workers, as well as even the kids themselves who’d been complaining. It thus wasn’t until 19-year-old Megan tipped off authorities in March 2019 that the truth ostensibly came to light — there were signs Machelle had been abusing her non-biological kids for years.
According to records, Megan’s decision to have a long car conversation with one of her adoptive sisters following a dentist visit just to learn her teeth were rotting sparked the police complaint. She already knew every single one of her siblings had been taken out of school, likely to ensure they could be more involved in the Machelle-run family YouTube channel (Fantastic Adventures, created in 2017), which is why she didn’t hesitate to make the tip. And that’s how deputies carrying out a welfare check found the kids not only malnourished but also covered in bruises as well as scars.
This, of course, immediately gave rise to a full investigation which suggested that the actual physical and psychological harm done to the children was sadly much worse than initially suspected. Machelle purportedly used to lock them in a tiled room, refuse to give them food/water or let them use the bathroom, force them to stand in corners with their arms above their heads for hours, pinch their genitals until they bled, burn them with the help of a lighter, and pepper spray them from head to toe. Therefore, the 48-year-old was soon arrested on a total of 29 counts for child abuse, molestation of a minor, unlawful imprisonment, plus child neglect.
Machelle Hobson’s Kids: Diverse Paths Post-Adoption and Legal Battles
Starting with the adopted minors, they were unsurprisingly released back to state custody and assigned case workers as well as advocates to ensure their safety following Machelle’s arrest. The AZDCS’ goal then was to find them a forever home while keeping as many of them together as possible, but it appears as if at least two of the seven were in Megan’s custody for a while. As for Megan, along with her elder biological sister, they honestly prefer to maintain their distance from the limelight these days, which is entirely understandable considering their past.
Coming to Logan and Ryan Hackney, they’re facing their own legal troubles at the moment, and it doesn’t seem to be concerning the 2019 incident even though they’d been arrested back then. Well, since the brothers lived with Machelle as well as the kids at the time, they were taken into custody on March 15 for allegedly failing to report the former’s horrific abusive behavior. Yet while the charges against the then 27 and 25-year-old were let go on technicalities, the criminal indictment against their mother was dismissed due to her November 12, 2019, death from complications related to a brain injury she suffered in May as a Pinal County Jail inmate.
Neither Logan nor Ryan had any other accusations under their belt, but that changed in early 2023 when they were both charged with sexual molestation, with their victims being as young as five. The former was arrested on March 16 on four counts of sexual conduct concerning a minor before being released two days later on the condition of having an electronic monitor. On the other hand, the latter was apprehended on April 25 on two counts of the same and evidently remains detained in a Maricopa County jail on a $20,000 bond even today. They have both since pleaded not guilty to the severe accusations against them, which means they’ll now face trial for the same — Logan is scheduled to face court starting on August 31, whereas his younger brother will do the same starting on August 17.
Read More: Tyler Bauman and Kathryn Green: Where Are The Conspirators Now?
