"Two Faces of a Parenting YouTuber with 2.5 Million Subscribers... Arrested on Child Abuse Charges"

Two Children Rescued from Confinement... Malnourished Condition
Eldest Daughter "Tried for Years to Inform Police"

A famous American YouTuber, a mother of six children and known for parenting-related content with over 2.5 million subscribers, was arrested on charges of child abuse after it was revealed that she had confined her own children.

According to foreign media reports including the AP on the 1st (local time), Ruby Franky (41), a well-known YouTuber from Utah, USA, was arrested on child abuse charges on the 30th of last month in Ivins, a city in southern Utah, and is currently under police investigation.

Since 2015, Franky had operated a family YouTube channel called "8 Passengers" together with her husband Kevin Franky and their six children. This channel gained great popularity by providing parenting advice content, once reaching 2.5 million subscribers. However, the channel suddenly disappeared from YouTube earlier this year. This led to rumors of family discord, and Franky appeared on other channels as well.

American YouTubers Ruby Franky (right) and Jodi Hildebrandt arrested on charges of child abuse [Image source=ConneXions YouTube capture]

Franky had been controversial for adhering to an excessively strict parenting style. She opposed unconditional love for her children and emphasized harsh punishment when the children misbehaved.

Franky’s true nature came to light on the morning of the 30th of last month when her 12-year-old son escaped from the house where he had been confined in a shabby state and sought help from a neighbor, asking for water and food. The child had been trapped at the home of Jodi Hildebrandt, Franky’s business partner. Since last year, Franky and Hildebrandt had been running a family counseling-related YouTube channel called "ConneXions."

The neighbor who found the child saw that strong adhesive tape was wrapped around the child’s wrists and ankles during the escape and reported it to the police. Upon receiving the report, the police arrived and immediately hospitalized the child at a nearby hospital for treatment. Examination revealed that the child had injuries on parts of the body caused by being tied with rope and was suffering from malnutrition due to inadequate food intake. Subsequently, the police also found Franky’s 10-year-old daughter at Hildebrandt’s home. Like her brother, she was also malnourished and was transferred to a hospital for treatment.

That same night, the police arrested and detained Franky and Hildebrandt on charges of child abuse. It was reported that Franky had been filming YouTube videos at the house where the children were confined until recently. Previously, in 2020, Franky had said in a YouTube video that she had "kept her then 15-year-old eldest son in a bean bag (a small chair filled with cushioning material that changes shape) for seven months" due to behavioral problems, which led viewers to report her to local child protection authorities. At that time, Franky denied the allegations, saying "Sleeping in the bean bag was my son’s choice."

Currently, four of Franky’s six children who are minors, excluding two adults, are under the protection of Utah’s child welfare authorities. Franky’s eldest daughter, Shari (20), posted on social media the night her mother was detained, saying, "We have been trying to inform the police about this for years," and "I am glad they have finally taken action."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.