Where are Ruby Franke’s kids now? Details explored ahead of Devil in the Family on Hulu
Ruby Franke, once a well-known family vlogger, became the centre of a high-profile child abuse case that led to her conviction and imprisonment. Franke, who gained popularity through her YouTube channel 8 Passengers, was arrested in August 2023 alongside her therapist and business associate Jodi Hildebrandt after her 12-year-old son escaped their residence in Ivins, Utah, and sought help from a neighbour.
The child was found malnourished with “open wounds and duct tape around the extremities,” prompting authorities to intervene as per People, February 26, 2025.
Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and was sentenced to four consecutive terms of 1-15 years in February 2024 reported in The Salt Lake Tribune, January 2024.
Her six children- Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve have since been placed under various forms of custody and care. With Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke premiering on Hulu, the documentary sheds light on the impact of the case, featuring insights from Franke’s estranged husband Kevin and their two eldest children.
“He'd get a bloody nose and I'd bring him toilet paper and didn't really know what to do"- Shari on the atrocities her brother Chad endured from their mother Ruby Franke
Ruby Franke’s highly publicized child abuse case continues to reveal disturbing details, particularly through the firsthand accounts of her eldest daughter, Shari Franke.
In the Hulu docuseries Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, Shari shares a recollection of helping her younger brother Chad clean blood from the walls after he was physically assaulted by their mother.
She describes the severity of the abuse, stating,
"He'd get a bloody nose and I'd bring him toilet paper and didn't really know what to do," (People, February 26, 2025).
Chad, too, shares his experience in the documentary, revealing that the physical punishment was far more severe than what the family portrayed on their now-defunct YouTube channel, 8 Passengers. He recalls that Ruby Franke would punish him off-camera using physical force, stating,
"She would spank, whip, take the belt out and whip my butt. Pull down my pants, whip me" (People, February 26, 2025).
A history of allegations and the public’s growing concern
Ruby Franke and her then-husband Kevin Franke gained internet fame by chronicling their daily lives as parents of six children. Their YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, had 2.5 million subscribers at its peak.
However, by 2020, viewers became concerned about Ruby Franke’s parenting methods, leading to growing criticism.
The concern intensified when her then-16-year-old son Chad disclosed that he had been forced to sleep on a bean bag for seven months as a disciplinary measure as per The Cinemaholic, October 26, 2024.
Other incidents captured on video included Ruby Franke refusing to bring her daughter Eve lunch at school after she forgot it, threatening to behead stuffed animals as a form of punishment, and making her children go without food for extended periods.
These concerns prompted an online petition calling for a child welfare investigation, but initial inquiries did not result in intervention.
Instead, Franke dismissed the criticism and eventually aligned herself with therapist-turned-life coach Jodi Hildebrandt, with whom she started promoting a strict parenting ideology through the ConneXions organization as per The Salt Lake Tribune, July 10, 2024.
The escape that led to Ruby Franke’s arrest
Despite multiple calls to Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) and reports from concerned individuals, action against Ruby Franke was not taken until August 30, 2023. On that day, her 12-year-old son, Russell, managed to escape from Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah.
He ran to a neighbor’s house seeking food and water. The neighbour immediately noticed "open wounds and duct tape around the extremities" and called 911 noted in People, February 26, 2025.
Upon arrival, law enforcement discovered Russell’s 10-year-old sister, Eve, in a similar state of malnourishment. Both children were rushed to the hospital for treatment. Authorities then searched the house and found evidence consistent with prolonged physical abuse.
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were taken into custody that same day and faced six charges of aggravated child abuse.
Both women later pleaded guilty to four counts each in December 2023 and were sentenced in February 2024 to serve between four and 30 years in prison as per The Salt Lake Tribune, July 10, 2024.
Shari and Kevin Franke speak out on systemic failures
Following Ruby Franke’s arrest, her estranged daughter Shari spoke out about the abuse, stating that she had long feared for the safety of her siblings. She had previously called the police in September 2022, alleging that her younger siblings had been left alone at home for five days, but no immediate action was taken.
Law enforcement visited the residence but did not intervene, as the children did not answer the door reported in The Salt Lake Tribune.
Kevin Franke, who had been living apart from Ruby for more than a year before her arrest, was not charged with the abuse. In an address to Utah legislators, he argued that the state's child welfare system failed to protect his children.
"All they had to do were three things," he stated. He continued,
"One: Keep the children isolated from the world. Two: Ignore all the phone calls from DCFS case workers. And three: Not answer the door when DCFS and, or, police officers knocked" (The Salt Lake Tribune, July 10, 2024).
Kevin has since been advocating for changes to Utah's child welfare laws, pushing for reforms that would allow caseworkers to temporarily remove children from a home when multiple concerns are reported.
He also emphasized the need to regulate the life coaching industry, stating that Hildebrandt, despite losing her therapy license, continued influencing parents through ConneXions, leading to severe consequences for his children as per The Salt Lake Tribune.
Where are Ruby Franke’s children now?
Ruby Franke’s six children have been placed under different forms of custody since her arrest. Her four youngest Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve remain under the care of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services while their father, Kevin, pursues custody. His attorney has stated that his
“urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care” (The Cinemaholic, October 26, 2024).
Meanwhile, Shari, now 21, has become a vocal advocate for child protection laws and family vlogging regulations. She has written a memoir, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom, which was published on January 7, 2025.
She continues to work toward legislative changes, testifying before Utah lawmakers about the dangers of family vlogging and how it played a role in her family’s downfall as per People, February 26, 2025.
Chad, now 19, has largely stepped away from public discussions about the abuse but has been active on social media, joking about his past experiences and focusing on his studies in real estate as per People, February 26, 2025.
Stay tuned for more updates.
