Jodi Hildebrandt’s Niece Came Forward With Abuse Allegations 14 Years Before Ruby Franke Case
Content warning: This story discusses child abuse.
One turning point in Ruby Franke‘s child abuse case has come to light.
Before the disgraced YouTuber and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt each pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse—for which they are currently serving up to 30 years in prison—Ruby found herself doubting Jodi’s credibility.
In Netflix’s new documentary Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, a recorded phone call from Ruby at Purgatory Correctional Facility on Dec. 2, 2023—two weeks before her guilty plea—revealed that being separated from Jodi since their August 2023 arrests had shifted her perspective.
“That’s when things started turning. I was like, ‘She’s not been honest,'” Ruby—who, along with Jody, offered life-coaching service through their ConneXions channel—said in the recording. “This has been the strangest and the most miraculous intervention.”
“It separated me from Jodi, so I’m not hearing her,” she continued. “And I think just being gone and not hearing her has cleared a lot of things up for me.”
The former influencer—who made her name vlogging her family of eight on the now-defunct YouTube channel 8 Passengers—reflected on her partner’s behavior since their arrests.
“Jodi denies everything,” she said in the call. “She denies having anything to do with this and I was shocked. I think putting the pieces together—it’s embarrassing, too. It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, how gullible was I? How much power I gave this person and I didn’t see it?'”
Ruby’s initial reaction to her and Jodi’s arrests was starkly different from her feelings after being separated in prison.
Moms of Truth/Instagram
“This is a witch hunt,” she said in a phone call with now-ex-husband Kevin Franke the day after her arrest, per the recording (which was also released by prosecutors and obtained by People). “Adults have a really hard time understanding that children can be full of evil and what that takes to fight it. So, I don’t know any adults who are willing to see the truth.”
“Poor Jodi,” she said in the recording heard in the doc. “They misinterpret her and they misunderstand her. She puts her neck out on the line for people and then they get mad at her. It is just horrendous.”
The business partners were arrested in August 2023 when Ruby’s son—who police said was malnourished and had duct-taped wounds around his ankles and wrists—escaped from Jodi’s Utah home and ran to a neighbor’s house for help.
Courtesy of Netflix
Since Ruby and Jodi have been behind bars, the former influencer’s family has spoken out, including her adult daughter Shari Franke.
“Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” Shari wrote on her Instagram Stories after her arrest. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up. Kids are safe, but there’s a long road ahead.”
E! News has reached out to Jodi’s lawyer for comment on the phone calls, but hasn’t heard back.
For a closer look at Ruby and Jodi’s case, keep reading.
Aug. 30, 2023: Children Found Malnourished
Utah police received a call about a starved child being found, they shared in a press release. The minor—who appeared “emaciated and malnourished” with “open wounds and duct tape around the extremities”—was taken to the hospital in “severe” condition.
He was later identified as YouTuber Ruby Franke‘s 12-year-old son, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by NBC News. He had been at the home of Ruby’s business partner Jodi Hildebrant and had climbed out of a window before going to a neighbor’s house to ask for help, per the document.
Police then searched a nearby home, where another child was found “in a similar physical condition of malnourishment” and was also hospitalized, per the press release.
Authorities later explained that they discovered Ruby’s 9-year-old daughter “petrified” while sitting by herself in an empty closet in Jodi’s house, per evidence released by the Washington County Attorney’s Office.
Aug. 30, 2023: Arrest
Ruby was arrested for aggravated child abuse charges in Utah along with Jodi, who in 2007 established a life coaching service called ConneXions, which former clients described to NBC News as a “cult-like” program based on principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Aug. 31, 2023: Ruby’s Daughter Speaks Out
On Aug. 31, E! reported that Shari Franke, Ruby’s estranged adult daughter, reacted to the news on her Instagram Story.
“Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” wrote Shari, who was born in 2003. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up. Kids are safe, but there’s a long road ahead.”
Instagram / Bonnie Hoellein
Aug. 31, 2023: Ruby’s Sisters React to Arrest
Ruby’s sisters Ellie Mecham, Bonnie Hoellein and Julie Deru spoke out as well, saying the YouTuber’s arrest “needed to happen.”
“For the last 3 years we have kept quiet on the subject of Ruby Franke for the sake of her children,” they wrote in a joint Instagram statement. “Behind the public scene, we have done everything to try and make sure the kids were safe. 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 any further.”
The siblings said Ruby’s kids are “now safe, which is the number one priority.”
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Sept. 6, 2023: Charges Filed
The former 8 Passengers YouTuber and her business partner Jodi were each formally charged with six counts of felony child abuse by the Washington County Attorney in Utah.
Sept. 6, 2023: Kevin Franke Breaks Silence
Ruby’s husband Kevin Franke came forward to deny involvement in her alleged crimes. His lawyer Randy Kester told Good Morning America the spouses had been living apart for 13 months before the arrest.
“He is a good person, he’s very gentle,” the attorney said. “He’s a very gentle guy. And no one has ever made any allegations that he’s physically abused those kids or anyone else.”
Nov. 29, 2023: Kevin Files for Divorce
Kevin officially filed for divorce from the Utah influencer, according to a domestic relations injunction obtained by NBC News.
Dec. 18: Guilty Pleas
E! confirmed Dec. 18 that Ruby had entered a guilty plea for four of her charges. At the time, per the Associated Press, she stated, “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”
Jodi would also plead guilty to four counts of second-degree felony aggravated child abuse.
Washington County Attorney’s Office
Feb. 20, 2024: Prison Sentencing
Both women were sentenced to four consecutive one to 15 year sentences, which will be capped at the 30-year max in Utah.
Instagram(moms_of_truth)
Feb. 20, 2024: Ruby Apologizes
The parent vlogger apologized during her sentencing to her six kids and estranged husband.
“For the past four years, I’ve chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion,” she said in court. “My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me.”
She continued, “To my babies, you are a part of me. I believed dark was light and right was wrong. I would do anything in this world for you. I took from you all that was soft, and safe, and good.”
March 25, 2024: Ruby’s Diary Revealed
Prosecutors released her chilling journal entries, in which she wrote about her mistreatment of her children, including her “Satanic” tween son.
“He slithers & sneaks around looking for opportunities when no one is watching & then he scurries,” she wrote in an entry from July 10, 2023, which was her son’s 12th birthday. “If he wants to emulate the savior, he needs to be 100% obedient with exactness. No wavering, no hiding.”
She wrote about punishing her children by beating them and withholding food and water.
Instagram(moms_of_truth)
March 25, 2024: Kevin’s Interview With Authorities Becomes Public
Prosecutors released audio footage of Kevin talking with investigators after Ruby was arrested, in which he spoke about alleged restrictions he faced in their house.
“There were all these rules now placed on me, like I can leave when I want but I couldn’t come back until Ruby gave me permission,” Kevin said in an audio clip obtained by E!. “I couldn’t come into the kitchen to eat until Ruby gave me permission and the upstairs where Jodi was was completely offline. I couldn’t go upstairs anymore in my own house. And Ruby would dictate all of the terms of how our interactions would be, when we would talk. And that was hard.”
For more information on domestic abuse or to get help for yourself or someone you love, visit the website for The National Domestic Violence Hotline (http://www.thehotline.org/) or call 1-800-799-7233.
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