A Utah mom with six kids, who used to make parenting videos on YouTube, is in trouble for hurting her children. She can’t get out of jail, a judge decided.
Ruby Franke, 41, and her partner, Jodi Nan Hildebrandt, 54, got arrested in Utah on August 30. They’re accused of seriously hurting six kids. Ruby’s 12-year-old son went to a neighbor for help, saying he was hungry. He and Ruby’s 10-year-old daughter were very malnourished.
The charges are for hurting the kids in many ways, like physical harm, not giving enough food, and causing strong emotional pain. If found guilty, they could go to prison for up to 10 years and pay a fine.
In their first court appearance over video, they both wore striped uniforms. The call had problems because too many people joined. The judge set the next hearing for September 21.
Ruby Franke has been moved to a different part of the jail, but it’s not clear why.
The neighbor called 911 when they found Ms. Franke’s son at their door, badly hurt. The boy was very skinny, had tape on his legs, and was really hungry and thirsty. He was scared and asked for the police.
The neighbor told the police that the tape on the boy showed he had been held against his will. The boy blamed himself for what happened.
The boy’s sister was found in Ms. Hildebrandt’s house. Ms. Hildebrandt ran a self-improvement business and had a counseling license.
The hurt kids went to the hospital, and the other young kids were taken away from Ms. Hildebrandt.
Ms. Franke was known on YouTube for her channel “8 Passengers,” where she talked about raising her kids. The channel had over two million subscribers before it was shut down this year. Some people didn’t like her strict parenting methods, like making her son sleep on a beanbag as punishment and not giving meals as a form of discipline.
Some folks even started a petition online, asking child protective services to step in. The oldest Franke daughter, Shari, has said online that she doesn’t talk to her parents.
SOURCE:BBC