A seemingly happy youtube family of six children, led by mother Ruby Franke, is now being exposed for exploiting and abusing their children; Ruby now faces up to thirty years in prison.
Who is Ruby Franke?
Ruby Franke, now 43 years old, was a Mormon from Utah. Like most Mormons, she was a cherished member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to Ruby’s specific ideals her only job in life was to be a successful mother and to raise many (many) kids. Ruby attended a college famously sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University (BYU). It’s here where she met her husband, Kevin Franke, and a few months later they were married with their first child on the way.
Who are 8 Passengers?
Ruby, whilst trying to be an extraordinary mother, began Youtube and the world of vlogging — which is essentially just posting everything one does online. She thought the only way her successes as a mother could be validated was if she posted them online for the world to see. It started out small, a page where she would post family-friendly dinner recipes and yummy dessert baking steps, but as the page grew she expanded to a youtube channel, where she would post videos of her six kids for all of the 2 million subscribers to see. This is where “8 Passengers” was born. She would post everything from first days of school, heartbreaks, injuries, to the occasional (probably should have been kept private) puberty woes.
The Early Signs
Throughout the video blogs there were certain actions done by Ruby that raised a few eyebrows, but they were mainly ignored. How could such a perfect family have anything bad going on? There were a few moments in particular where we look back and scoff at our ignorance because these situations clearly should have raised more concern then they did. One of the most questionable situations was when Ruby’s youngest daughter, at the time six years old, forgot to pack her lunch for school. The youngest daughter’s teacher called in concern and asked for Ruby to drop off lunch, in which Ruby replied no and specifically asked for the teacher not to give the child any snacks, or let her friends share their lunches with her. As sad as it was, we were so brainwashed by Ruby that her starving her own child did not raise concern.
Where It All Went Downhill
A few years ago, Ruby Franke met therapist/psychologist, Jodi Hildebrandt, to help with her “troubled” eldest son Chad. Jodi only exacerbated Ruby’s behavior and soon enough, Ruby and Jodi were spearheading a life coaching/advice business entitled “ConneXions.” The two started to develop a strange relationship, they were even rumored to be lovers. In light of this, she had kicked out her husband, Kevin, as well as the two oldest children Shari and Chad. The only people who remained in the house were Ruby, Jodi and the four youngest children, who for privacy reasons will not be named. Then, in March 2024, things began to take a turn. Ruby’s second to youngest child escaped the house and ran to a neighbor’s house asking for help. He was emaciated, malnourished, dehydrated and covered with open wounds. The neighbor called the police and the rest is history. It was later revealed that her two youngest children suffered this abuse because Franke thought they were demonicly possessed. The real possession is the entity that turned Ruby from a loving mother, to a heartless monster.
Where Are They Now?
Shari is living on her own and completing her studies at BYU. She was also recently engaged. Chad has built an online social media platform showing people how far he has come and how happy he is. Ruby’s husband, Kevin, finally filed for divorce. The last update of Ruby’s middle two daughters indicate they are safe and living with a family friend. The youngest two children’s whereabouts are unknown, but are believed to be safe after getting in contact with the police. Lastly, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt both pleaded guilty to four counts of felony child abuse, and will each be serving up to thirty years in prison.
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