Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that the case of Ruby Franks has left not just the state of Utah but the entire nation baffled to the core. That’s because, as explored in Lifetime’s ‘Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story,’ this former YouTube vlogger was arrested, charged, and convicted on charges of child abuse against her own children. There had been allegations against her for a few years, but it wasn’t until 2023 that some concrete actions were actually taken, resulting in her receiving four consecutive sentences of 1-15 years in prison in March 2024.
Ruby Franke Inadvertedly Documented a Lot of the Abuse
Having tied the knot in December 2000 to fellow Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints member and Utah native Kevin Franke, Ruby had built a big family with him by the time 2015 rolled around. They actually shared six children in total – Shari Franke, Chad Franke, Abby Franke, Julie Franke, Russell Franke, and Eve Frank, with the last one being born around the early 2010s. Then, in 2015, the mother of six launched a YouTube channel named 8Passengers to chronicle their day-to-day lives, unaware she would soon face a lot of backlash over her strict ways.
That’s because, by early 2020, then-16-year-old Chad had come forward to claim he had been banned from his own bedroom and made to sleep on a bean bag for seven months as a form of disciplinary punishment. Then, upon paying closer inspection to the family’s vlogs, viewers also discerned that some other forms of punishment by Ruby included withholding food, threatening to behead beloved stuffed toys, and telling her younger kids that Santa Claus would not bring them any gifts on Christmas because they didn’t respond to other punishments.
This actually went to such an extent that the audience launched a petition asking for an inquiry into the family, fearing child abuse and neglect, leading to the channel’s decline by 2021. However, at this point, everyone defended Ruby and her ways to no avail. The married mother of six, hence, shifted gears and became involved with the life coaching brand ConneXions with licensed therapist Jodi Hildebrandt in 2022, unaware everything would turn upside down within a year. She and her husband separated, her eldest two children became estranged from her, and then, ultimately, she was arrested on August 30, 2023.
Ruby Franke’s Arrest Was Triggered By One of Her Kids Escaping
According to reports, from 2022 onwards, child protective services were called to the Franke household several times, with then-college student Shari also calling the authorities after learning her siblings were allegedly often left home alone. Yet, it wasn’t until August 2023 that something became of it, and only because her youngest son got the courage to escape despite being tortured. As per documents, 12-year-old Russell had slipped through a window to ask neighbors for food and water, who dialed 911 upon noticing “open wounds and duct tape around the extremities.” Once officials arrived, they also found an extremely malnourished 10-year-old Eve in the family home, resulting in both kids immediately being rushed to the hospital.
That’s when an extensive search into the house Ruby was now sharing with Jodi was conducted, just for officials to find evidence “consistent with the markings” on Russell. The Utah Division of Child and Family Services thus took him as well as Eve, along with their two elder siblings, Abby and Julie, into their care, following which they also learned their wounds were neglected. With all this information, Ruby and Jodi were arrested on six counts of child abuse, only for them to ultimately plead guilty to four counts by the time early 2024 rolled around. The former’s estranged husband, Kevin, was never charged or arrested in connection to this matter, as investigators found no evidence against him.
Shari Franke is an Aspiring Politician Today
While Shari was estranged from her mother and had little contact with her at the time of the arrest, she knew to what extremes Ruby could go and how family vlogging, as well as her partnership with Jodi, allegedly only made things worse. So, today, this proud Utah resident is calling for laws that protect children from social media and all its negativities while also planning on publishing her debut book, a memoir titled ‘The House of My Mother,’ on January 7, 2025. As if that’s not enough, she has since also made it clear that Washington, DC, is one of her favorite places in the entire world owing to what it represents, so her dream now is to pursue a doctorate in a political field and work there one day. She also remains close to her siblings, who serve as her inspiration these days.
Chase Frank is Moving Forward in Life
Although Chase has never been as open about the past as his elder sister, he is well aware of the fact that the entire ordeal has made him quite a public figure. However, instead of letting it drag him down, he has decided to make light of it in an effort to move on and now often even jokes about it on his social media platforms, as seen above. As for his current standing, from what we can tell, this Utah resident is a travel enthusiast, a bike aficionado, and an aspiring real estate agent, so it’s clear he is already taking control of his own life. We should also mention that he appears to be in a happy, healthy, long-term relationship at the moment, all the while being glad that he still has a connection with his siblings. After all, they are the reason he knows he wants to have a family and be a father one day.
Ruby Franke’s Youngest Four Kids Are in State Custody
Ever since Ruby was arrested in August 2023, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve have been under the custody of Utah state, with their father fighting to attain the same and make amends for everything he missed over the years. It’s imperative to note that Kevin has since stated through his lawyers that his “urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care,” and Ruby’s sister has said they are doing everything possible to ensure the kids’ safety. The truth is all four of them are still minors at the moment, so not much about them is publicly available, yet we do know they are safe, happy, and together, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Ruby Franke: Where is the Child Abuser Now?
