The popular YouTube channel “8 Passengers” that offered parenting advice was run by a Utah mother named Ruby Franke. However, viewers didn’t know that behind the videos where they looked friendly, Franke and her friend Jodi Nan Hildebrandt were extremely and cruelly abusing their children.
The truth came to light last year, when one of Franke’s 12-year-old sons managed to run away from home to seek help. Upon arriving at the hospital along with his 10-year-old younger sister, it was discovered that both were in a state of malnutrition and with open wounds on their bodies. This led to the arrest of Franke and Hildebrandt.
In court, prosecutor Eric Clarke described the situation in which Franke and Hildebrandt’s children lived as similar to a “concentration camp”. The children were subjected to constant physical and psychological abuse, being deprived of food, water and any form of entertainment. One of the children even recounted being punished to sleep in a beanbag for months, while his younger sister had to repeatedly jump on a cactus as a form of punishment.
As a consequence of their actions, Franke and Hildebrandt will receive four sentences of 1 to 15 years in prison. During the court hearing, Franke expressed great remorse and apologized to her children. She stated that she was confused and disoriented, which led her to believe that her actions were right and that darkness was light.
Franke rose to fame in the YouTube community in 2015, thanks to her popular channel “8 Passengers,” where she shared her experiences raising her children. The channel went on to amass more than 2 million subscribers. The channel always received criticism for its strict parenting measures, including depriving their children of meals and subjecting them to physical punishment.
The couple’s children are now in protective custody and, hopefully, will receive the care and support they need to recover from this traumatic experience. This case serves as a reminder that abuse and neglect can occur even in seemingly happy and successful families. It is society’s responsibility to report any suspected cases of child abuse and to provide support and protection to victims.