US women who gave parenting tips on YouTube charged with abuse

A Utah woman who previously had a large YouTube following for parenting advice has been arrested and charged with child abuse after her emaciated son managed to escape and find food on Sept 2. Both Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were taken into custody in Ivins, Utah according to a statement from the town’s public safety department.

Franke and her husband Kevin, who ran the now defunct “8 Passengers” YouTube channel, provided lessons on strict discipline while raising their six children. The discipline methods shown in their videos were so extreme that many viewers had expressed concerns in the past.

The statement from the Ivins health department revealed that someone had made a call on Wednesday to report that an emaciated and malnourished juvenile had escaped through a window in his house seeking food and water. The child had open wounds and duct tape wrapped around their extremities, and the St. George News reported that the 12-year-old boy had deep lacerations from being tied with a rope.

Both the escaped child and another child found in a nearby home were taken to the hospital for treatment, with evidence consistent with the markings found on the juvenile discovered during a subsequent house search. Police and family services officials then removed a total of four minor children from the custody of their parents.

The two women were officially charged in Washington County on Friday, and they each face charges of aggravated child abuse, as reported by the St. George News. This is not the first time that the family has had contact with child and family services, as officials had been called to their home in 2020 when one of the sons said on YouTube that he had been forced to sleep on a beanbag chair for seven months as punishment.

The Frankes claimed that the incident had been taken out of context, but it led to online criticism of their harsh parenting methods, including withholding food as a form of discipline. In response to the arrests, two women claiming to be Ruby Franke’s sisters posted on social media that they believe the arrests were necessary and will now ensure the safety of the children.

Franke and Hildebrandt are currently being held without bail at the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, Utah. No court date has been set for the case, and it remains uncertain if Ruby Franke’s husband, Kevin Franke, will face any charges. – AFP