Utah YouTube star Ruby Franke arrested for alleged child abuse

Lone Star News
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A Utah woman who gave online parenting advice via a popular YouTube channel has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated child
#rubyfranke #abuse #utah
Police say this is the house a young child escaped from
and went to a neighbor's house asking for food and water.
They said that that child was severely malnourished
along with another one they found inside the same home.
Now, we talked to neighbors in this area
and they said that they don't really know
the homeowner of this home very well,
but she's in business with a woman
who has gained a huge following online
with YouTube videos getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So being a mom's a full-time job, but.
Popular Utah family vlogger Ruby Franke
was arrested Wednesday.
The 41-year-old mother of six is known for sharing clips
of her children's daily lives
on their now defunct YouTube channel, A Passengers.
Today, she and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt,
are accused of abusing some of them.
I've had my phone with me.
My bedroom was taken away for seven months
and then you give it back like a couple weeks ago.
I don't think our viewers know that.
You've been sleeping on a bean bag.
I've been sleeping on a bean bag since October.
And you gave my room back like two weeks ago.
Police say a clearly malnourished 12-year-old child
crawled out of the window of Hildebrandt's Ivan's area home.
A neighbor called 911 when he showed up at their house
asking for food and water.
Officers say his wrists were duct taped.
He had wounds from being tied up across his body.
Investigators say they found a 10-year-old girl
inside the same house who was also malnourished.
Franke's family vlogs ended without a specific reason given.
Franke now works for the Utah County Company Connections
along with Hildebrandt.
It's described as a treatment program
for those with mental health and addiction issues.
Connections has been the subject of a lot of controversy,
specifically for its teachings on parenting.
Many of Franke's siblings are also online content creators.
Her sisters released a social media statement saying,
quote, Ruby was arrested, which needed to happen.
Jodi was arrested, which needed to happen.
The kids are now safe.
Franke's eldest daughter, Sherry,
posted this picture on Instagram with the caption, finally.
In the next slide, she said her family
is glad justice was served.
She wrote, quote, we've been trying to tell police and CPS
for years about this, end quote.
The Santa Clara-Ivans Police Department
did not provide an update on the children's condition.
According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office,
Franke is still in custody.
At this point, we know the Santa Clara-Ivans Police Department
is working with the Springville Police Department on this case.
We will continue to bring you updates
as we get them both down here in Southern Utah
and up in Utah County.
Shelby Loftin, KSL 5 News.
