The husband of a Mormon YouTuber who was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of molesting two of her six children was seen pacing outside the family’s Utah home on Saturday – as neighbors expressed their fears for the expressed the safety of their children.
Ruby Franke, 41, was arrested Wednesday along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt on two counts of aggravated child abuse after two of their malnourished children were found starving, with open wounds and wrapped in duct tape.
Franke rose to prominence online through her YouTube channel 8 Passengers and had 2.2 million subscribers before she stopped posting in January 2022.
Ruby’s husband, with whom she has six children – Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve – was seen at the property on Saturday when a man came to remove YouTube branding from the van parked outside.
Neighbors told they were concerned about the children’s welfare and once saw the children pulling weeds outside for hours in triple-digit temperatures.
Ruby, her husband and their six children rose to fame in 2015 after she began sharing videos on YouTube that gave a glimpse into her life as a Mormon mother of six
Kevin Franke, the husband of Mormon YouTuber Ruby Franke, was spotted at the family home on Saturday. It is believed he was kicked out of the house last year
Ruby Franke’s home in Springville, Utah is seen on Saturday
Ruby Franke (left), who ran the now-defunct channel 8 Passengers, was arrested on Wednesday along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (right).
spoke to one of Hildebrandt’s neighbors, whose home is also in the Kayenta Community at the foothills of the Red Mountains in Ivins, Utah.
They recalled regularly seeing Franke’s “8Passengers” van parked in front of the house at the time.
“One thing we noticed and we told the police the same thing: six to eight weeks ago, when it was very hot, I was out pulling weeds in the late morning and afternoon, and there were several children at Jodi’s house before hers House and pulling weeds.
“As the day went on, the temperatures were over 100 degrees and I gave up after a while because it was so hot, but I noticed the kids staying outside,” the neighbor explained.
The resident also noted that he never heard any noises coming from the house, such as children playing outside, which he said was unusual.
One day, a child reportedly escaped through the window of a house before running to a neighbor, who then called the police.
Neighbors said they believed the child chose this home after receiving cookies for Christmas and knew they were friendly and “safe enough to come to them for help.”
Both Franke and Hildebrandt have previously been criticized for their teachings on parenting – their collaboration on Hildebrandt’s life coaching service ConneXions.
“Everyone collectively breathes a sigh of relief because we thought they were coming out of the house with body bags,” another neighbor told NBC News after the arrest.
The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department in Utah arrested Franke and Hildebrandt after a report of a juvenile in distress at 10:50 a.m. Wednesday.
Authorities said the child was described as “emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and tape around his extremities” and had asked for food and water.
Neighbors said they have had contact with the Utah Department of Children and Family Services in the past.
Kevin Franke was seen pacing in front of his home in Springville, Utah on Saturday
Franke receives a reassuring pat as he returns to the family home with travel bags and a pillow
Ruby Franke, who ran the 8 Passengers site, was arrested along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt on two counts of aggravated child abuse. In the picture their branded delivery van
The same van was later seen with the logo removed from the body
A worker at Kevin and Ruby Franke’s Springville home used a heat gun to remove 8 passengers from Ruby Franke’s van, which she was using to advertise on her YouTube channel
The damaged front door of Ruby Franke’s home in Springville, Utah, as seen on Saturday
Earlier this week, Franke’s eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted on Instagram about her mother’s arrest, sharing a picture of police officers outside the house with the caption, “Finally.”
“I remember she took Christmas away from them one year and said things like, ‘You don’t really repent,’ which is a Mormon term for ‘You sin.’ “Just complete madness,” explained a male neighbor.
Residents also told how Franke interfered in the lives of their neighbors.
One recalled an incident in which Franke lectured a neighbor about posters she said were “inappropriate” depicting women posing in shorts that were displayed in a garage.
Kevin Franke was said to have been kicked out of the family home last year.
He said earlier this week that he was “trying to keep his kids together” after the arrests.
Kevin’s attorney, Randy S. Kester, told Page Six that his client’s “first priority is keeping his children together under his fatherly care.”
Following the police investigation, four minor children were taken into the care of Children and Family Services. It is not confirmed whether the children were related to either Franke or Hildebrandt.
After Kevin left the family home, a neighbor said that the children appeared to be no longer attending school because one of the daughters was knocking on the doors of other homes in the neighborhood where children lived.
Shortly before the sticker was removed, Franke’s branded van was seen in the driveway
Holding a pillow and duffel bags, Kevin Franke walks into his home in Springville, Utah
Franke was still seen wearing his wedding ring as he left his house
“She just knocked on your door and said, ‘Hello, can your kids play?’ And we say, ‘Well, they’re at school. They won’t be home for another three or four hours.” And she would say, “I’ll wait.” “She’s like this lost child,” the neighbor said.
“I’m really angry because I spoke out.” Other people spoke up and nothing happened, another (female) neighbor explained.
“I want these children to know that the community loves them and wants them to be safe,” she said.
“If people knew how many tears and how much time they’ve spent talking to law enforcement and CPS over the last year, I want people to understand that.” And I want these kids to know that because I think they thought they were abandoned.”
In a statement, the Santa Clara-Ivins Department of Public Safety said, “The juvenile’s condition was serious enough that he was evaluated by Santa Clara-Ivins EMS and transported to a local hospital.”
“Police have received information that there may be other youths in a similar condition in a nearby house.”
“Officers arrived at the home, searched the apartment and found another youth who was in a similar physical condition of malnutrition.
Jody Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah, seen on Friday
A neighbor told how children were seen pulling weeds outside the house on a scorching hot day
Other neighbors said they never heard the sounds of children playing outside, even though two children lived in the house
“They were also transported by emergency medical services for hospital treatment.” Police said “evidence consistent with the markings found on the youth” was found in the apartment.
Following the investigation, four minor children were placed in the care of Children and Family Services. It is not confirmed whether the children were related to either woman.
Both Franke and Hildebrandt remain in custody at the Washington County Sheriff’s Department as of Saturday evening and are charged with two aggravated child abuse charges.
Two children were taken to a hospital in St. George, Utah, about 255 miles southwest of Springville, officials said.
Franke is known for her strict parenting style on the channel, where she will stop uploading footage in January 2022. The channel was removed earlier this year.
When asked why she left YouTube behind on ConneXions months later, she said she decided to stop uploading videos because she wanted to “save her children.”
Four minor children were taken into the care of Children and Family Services following the investigation and two were hospitalized. It is not confirmed whether these were Franke’s children
Franke (seen with her husband) is known on the channel for her strict parenting style, which is why she stopped uploading footage in January 2022. Uploading stopped earlier this year
She once came under fire for revealing that her then six-year-old daughter Eve was left “starving” because the little girl neglected to prepare her own lunch before school
She said her children were being “hurt” by the constant “advice” they received from her huge following.
“I don’t care what the world thinks, this is the truth and this is where I stand,” she added.
Franke has gained more than 2.2 million subscribers by documenting her daily activities on social media alongside her husband Kevin.
The mother-of-six came under fire in July after footage resurfaced showing her starving her six-year-old daughter Eve because she forgot to make her own lunch.
In a video posted to YouTube in February 2020, Ruby explained that she received a text message from her daughter’s teacher informing her that the child had nothing to eat for lunch.
She said all of her children were responsible for making their own lunches in the morning, so she wouldn’t bring Eve food over because she wanted to teach her a lesson.
Franke said: “My hope.” [is that] She will be hungry and come home and say, “It was really painful being hungry all day. I’ll make sure I always have lunch.”
“The natural result is that she just has to starve.”
Ruby’s eldest child, Shari (seen in May), announced in April that she had no longer had contact with her mother
Franke’s strict parenting style has been met with backlash since the channel launched in 2015.
Viewers called Child Protective Services in 2020 after her 15-year-old son Chad claimed he slept on a bean bag chair for seven months.
She also threatened to throw away her children’s items if they didn’t pay her cash for them, claiming this was a lesson in understanding the value of their items.
Her eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted on Instagram about her mother’s arrest and shared a picture of police officers outside the house with the caption, “Finally.”
She added: “Today was a big day. My family and I are so happy that justice is being served.
“We have been trying to inform the police and CPS about this for years and are so pleased they have finally decided to intervene.”
“Children are safe, but they still have a long way to go. Please keep them in your prayers and also respect their privacy.”
Shari, who cut off contact with her family in April, also asked that anyone who had access to “questionable or concerning ConneXions or 8Passengers videos” contact her.
In Utah, an act that “causes serious physical injury to a child” or “causes or enables another to cause serious physical injury to a child.”