Ruby Franke is at the heart of tonight’s BBC true crime doc The Devil in the Family.
BBC’s true crime doc on former YouTuber Ruby Franke aired tonight (Image: BBC)
A BBC true crime doc investigates the truth behind the case of Ruby Franke.
The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke aired this evening, Thursday, August 6, on BBC Two, with the three-part special investigating the life and crimes of Franke.
Speaking to those who knew the 44-year-old best, this third episode delves into the truth which “proves far worse than anyone imagined”.
Who is Ruby Franke?
Ruby Franke is an American former family vlogger who ran the controversial YouTube channel 8 Passengers.
She started the channel in 2015 and ran it with her then-husband Kevin, documenting their lives with their six children with 8 Passengers attracting almost three million subscribers.
While it was popular, 8 Passengers received plenty of online criticism as it promoted strict parenting rules and harsh disciplinary tactics. When the channel started to decline, and was eventually suspended, Franke teamed up with mental health counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt.
Together, they launched their joint Instagram profile and podcast Moms of Truth which similarly talked about extreme parenting but also the idea that children who didn’t follow their rules were possessed or acting under dark influences.
Franke and Hildebrandt were also business partners who ran an online life-coaching service named ConneXions.
In August 2023, Franke was arrested after her 12-year-old son escaped a home in Utah, now known to be Hildebrandt’s, and asked a neighbour for help.
Police discovered that her two youngest children were extremely malnourished with physical injuries and bondage wounds.
Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and was sentenced to four prison terms of one to 15 years each to run consecutively.
This means she will serve a total prison sentence of four to 30 years which was the maximum penalty under Utah law. Hildebrandt also received this sentence for her involvement in the abuse.
The Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.