Need to know
The YouTube family vlogger is the subject of shocking documentary The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, which aired on BBC Two last night.
Hulu true crime documentary The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke has now aired on BBC Two(Image: Hulu/BBC)
What happened to Ruby Franke? Everything you need to know
- The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke aired on BBC Two last night, examining the disturbing case of the disgraced parenting influencer.
- Franke launched her YouTube channel 8 Passengers in 2015, sharing controversial parenting advice that “began to raise eyebrows among her fans, leading to complaints and calls to police”.
- The full extent of her abuse came to light when her malnourished 12-year-old son escaped through a window and fled to neighbours desperately seeking food and water. Police records revealed the boy had lacerations on his wrists and ankles consistent with having been bound with rope.
- Franke had partnered with family counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt, who believed the children were “evil and possessed by demons”. Both the 12-year-old and his nine-year-old sister were held captive in Hildebrandt’s Utah home.
- Both women were arrested in August 2023 and convicted of four counts of aggravated child abuse. They each received sentences of four to 30 years and are currently incarcerated at Utah State Correctional Facility. Franke’s initial parole hearing is scheduled for December 2026.
- In November 2023, Franke’s husband Kevin Franke filed for divorce following over a year of separation. Following Franke’s conviction, her children were placed in protective custody, but her ex-husband has now been granted full custody and he has since remarried.
READ THE FULL STORY: Where is Ruby Franke now?