September 3rd 2023.
Ruby Franke, a 41 year old mother of six, ran a popular parenting channel on YouTube for seven years, where she shared parenting advice and chronicled her family life in Utah. This week, Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrand were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse.
The neighbours of Franke were relieved to hear about the arrest, having been worried about the safety of her children for some time. One male neighbour went so far as to say that he feared they would “end up in body bags”. He accused Franke of emotional abuse and withholding food as punishment, which she had heavily defended on her YouTube channel.
The situation came to light after Franke's 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt's home and ran to a neighbour’s house, asking for food and water. The neighbour noticed the boy was emaciated and had duct tape on his wrists and ankles, as well as deep lacerations from being tied up with rope. He was taken to hospital for medical attention. Franke’s 10-year-old daughter was also found in a similar state.
Franke has been denied bail and four of her children are now in the care of child protection services. One female neighbour expressed her sadness and anger that the situation was not addressed sooner. She said she wanted the children to know that the community loves them and wants them to be safe, as she believes they felt abandoned.
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