Ruby Franke and her family — including her six children, Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve — went from a picture-perfect family with a massive YouTube following to the subjects of a heartbreaking child abuse case.
The Franke children were prominently featured on their family’s YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, which launched in 2015. The vlog followed the Mormon family through their everyday life in Springville, Utah, and quickly grew a large audience. By 2020, the Frankes were posting up to five times a week, had 2.5 million followers and amassed more than a billion views on their videos, according to The Cut.
But by 2022, things began to take a dark turn for the Franke family. Franke stopped posting on the 8 Passengers page completely and joined forces with controversial family therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. The two had a podcast and Instagram account, under the handle “Moms of Truth,” where they shared their extreme views on parenting and discipline. At the advice of Hildebrandt, Franke separated from her husband, Kevin, and moved into Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah.
The move resulted in Franke often allegedly leaving her two teenage daughters, Abby and Julie, alone in the family’s Springville home — which is “about four or five hours away” from Ivins, according to a neighbor — for weeks at a time without supervision. But that wasn’t the only red flag neighbors noticed: Police were contacted twicethroughout 2022 out of concern for Franke’s children.
Then, on Aug. 30, 2023, authorities were contacted after Franke’s youngest son, then-12-year-old Russell, escaped Hildebrandt’s home and went to a neighbor’s house seeking help. After discovering Russell and his younger sister, 10-year-old Eve, in an “emaciated and malnourished” condition with “open wounds” on their arms and legs, Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse. The once-popular mommy vlogger has since pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and was sentenced to 4 to 60 years in prison for her crimes.
On Oct. 26, Lifetime premiered a fictionalized version of the family’s story and Franke’s crimes. Titled Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story, the film stars Heather Locklear as Hildebrandt and Emilie Ullerup as Franke.
From their family vlogging days to their new reality with their mother behind bars, here’s everything to know about Ruby Franke’s six children: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve.
Who are Ruby Franke’s children?
Ruby and Kevin Franke and their children.
Ruby Franke/ Instagram
Between 2003 and 2013, Franke and her former husband, Kevin, welcomed six children together: Daughters Shari, Abby, Julie and Eve and sons Chad and Russell. When the couple began their YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, in 2015, the children ranged from ages 1 (Eve) to 11 years old (Shari).
“My dream was to be a stay-at-home mom and to make, like, dinner for my family and to have lots and lots of babies,” Franke said in an early 8 Passengers video, according to the podcast The Rise and Fall of Ruby Franke. “That has always been my dream.”
The Mormon family documented their everyday life in Utah on their YouTube channel, with the children frequently in the spotlight. The vlogs showcased everything from potty-training to homeschooling to puberty — including potentially embarrassing moments, such as their eldest son Chad’s voice changing and bra shopping with their daughter Abby when she was a preteen, according to The Cut.
“Some of our most popular videos were when my eyebrow was accidentally waxed off and the whole world saw a crying teenager when I just wanted to mourn in private … or the time I was violently ill and got the leading role in the video that day,” Shari, the oldest Franke child, recalled about their vlogging days while addressing Utah lawmakers in October 2024. “The camera never stops, and there is no such thing as a vacation from filming.”
What happened to Ruby Franke’s children?
Jodi Hildebrandt, Ruby Franke, Woman Charged Alongside Ruby Franke Broke Confidentiality as Therapist. Patient Says She ‘Destroyed My Life’.
Moms of Truth/ Instagram
In 2020, the Frankes faced increasing criticism for their strict parenting style — particularly when it came to punishing their six children.
The controversial discipline was frequently featured on their popular YouTube channel, which had grown to nearly 2.5 million followers. Punishments included refusing to bring Eve, then 6 years old, lunch at school when she forgot to pack it, taking away the “privilege” to eat dinner from sons Chad and Russell after they were wrestling in the home, making Eve sleep on the bathroom floor after wetting the bed and taking away Chad’s bed for seven months for playing a prank on a sibling. The concerning clips prompted the first allegations of child abuse against Franke, with 18,000 viewers even signing an online petition in 2020 requesting that child protective services investigate the family.
“The levels of punishment were pretty extreme,” one neighbor told PEOPLE in 2023.
The Change.org petition resulted in Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services visiting the Franke home and interviewing the children individually over two hours. However, the case was dropped due to lack of evidence to support the allegations, according to a DCFS letter obtained by Insider.
At the time, both Kevin and Franke defended their parenting style in interviews. Kevin told Insider in 2020 that the claims of abuse were “really ironic,” and alleged that DCFS workers were embarrassed over — and apologized for — having to pay them a visit. Franke also dismissed her critics, telling The Wrap in 2021 that she was simply demonstrating “what a responsible mother looks like.”
But over the next two years, Franke’s parenting became even more extreme — especially after she linked up with therapist and ConneXions founder Hildebrant. By 2023, Franke had forced her husband out of the house, cut off his contact with the children and moved 300 miles away into Hildebrant’s Ivins, Utah home — where her two youngest children, Russell and Eve, endured cruel torture at the hands of Franke and her business partner.
Which children was Ruby Franke convicted of abusing?
In August 2023, Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on six counts of aggravated child abuse charges after Russell and Eve — who were 12 and 10 years old at the time, respectively — were found “emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around” their arms and legs, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. The arrests came after Russell escaped Hildebrandt’s home and made his way to a neighbor’s house to seek help. The neighbor, who was driven to tears by the boy’s condition, called 911.
The investigation that followed uncovered even more horrifying details about the abuse that Russell and Eve suffered while living with their mother under Hildebrandt’s roof. According to Franke’s journal, the children were forced to do demanding physical labor, were denied food for days at a time and were left to stand in the sun for hours and sleep outdoors as punishment for being “evil” and “manipulative.” Police also discovered that Hildebrandt allegedly used cayenne pepper and honey to dress the children’s wounds and bound the children with ropes, chains and handcuffs. Prosecutors later alleged that Franke had forced Russell’s head under water, smothered him with her hands, and kicked him with boots on, as well as made Eve run barefoot on dirt roads.
While Franke and her attorneys placed the blame for her actions solely on Hildebrandt and her “twisted” influence over the mommy vlogger, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse on Dec. 19, 2023. In February 2024, she was sentenced to 4 to 60 years in prison for her crimes. However, Franke will not serve more than 30 years due to a Utah law regarding consecutive sentences.
“I took from you all that was soft, and safe, and good,” Franke said to her children ahead of her sentencing. “How terrifying this must have been for you. I will never stop crying for hurting your tender souls. You’re so precious to me. I’m sorry.”
How did Ruby Franke’s children react to her arrest and conviction?
Ruby Franke during a hearing Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, in St. George, Utah.
AP
The day after Franke’s arrest, on Sept. 1, 2023, her oldest daughter Shari shared harsh words for her estranged mother on Instagram.
“Today has been a big day,” Shari, who was 20 at the time and no longer lived at home, wrote on Instagram. “Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
Shari continued, sharing a photo of officers outside of Hildebrandt’s home with the caption “finally.” She also added a link to a public Google document, where she asked her followers to add any clips of suspicious and questionable comments allegedly made by her mother, and urged people to unfollow and report the ConneXions and Moms of Truth Instagram accounts.
“They do not deserve such a large audience,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories.
Franke’s oldest son Chad — who was also no longer living at home when his mother was taken into custody — also posted on social media in the aftermath of his mother’s conviction and sentencing. Chad was photographed smiling as he left the courtroom after Franke was sentenced to four to 60 years in prison (the maximum for her crimes), according to Page Six.
In August 2024, Chad also commemorated the anniversary of Franke’s arrest on social media.
“Happy Prisonversary,” Chad wrote in a Snapchat, which included a photo of Franke taken presumably before her imprisonment.
Earlier in the summer, in June, 19-year-old Chad also posted an Instagram video that mentioned his incarcerated mom.
“GOT A TATTOO OF MY MOM FOR THE SUMMER,” he wrote on the video, before wiping off post-tattoo lotion from his forearm that revealed nothing was there.
Where are Ruby Franke’s children now?
Shari Franke, Ruby Franke’s oldest daughter.
Shari Franke/ Instagram
Since her mother’s 2023 arrest and conviction, Shari, the oldest child, has been the most outspoken sibling about their family’s ordeal. In October 2024, the Brigham Young University student slammed the Lifetime film about their family, On Instagram Stories, Shari claimed that she and her siblings were not contacted about the film and were not receiving any of the proceeds from the project.
“This movie is trash, and only hurts my siblings more,” she continued, before she asked her followers, “Please do not support this movie.”
The same month, Shari also addressed Utah lawmakers, urging them to pass legislation to reform the family vlogging industry and protect child influencers. Speaking before the Business and Labor Interim Committee, the 21-year-old referred to herself as a “victim of family vlogging” and stated that “family vlogging ruined my innocence” long before her mother committed any crimes. Shari also blasted the industry as a whole, stating that her family’s experience was “not unique” and that there was “no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger.”
“If I could go back and do it all again, I’d rather have an empty bank account now and not have my childhood plastered all over the internet,” Shari said in her statement, which she also shared on Instagram. “No amount of money I received has made what I’ve experienced worth it.”
Shari is also writing a book about her experience; The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom is due out in January 2025. Though her life was turned “upside down” from the tragic events that happened to her and her siblings, Shari revealed on Instagram that she is doing well despite the circumstances.
“Therapy has literally saved me, but God has too,” she wrote in an Instagram post from October 2023. “My life is somehow becoming more beautiful and fulfilling.”
Chad, the second oldest Franke child, is active on his social media accounts, where he posts about his girlfriend, hobbies and travels. In July 2024, the 19-year-old revealed on his Instagram account that he had started real estate school.
“Started Real Estate school which means I also need to learn how to golf,” he captioned the photo of himself on the golf course.
Shari and Chad’s four younger siblings (who are now between the ages of 11 and 17) have largely remained out of the spotlight since their family’s vlogging days. After Franke’s arrest, the four minors — Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve — were taken into custody by the Division of Child and Family Services, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. According to a January 2024 filing made by Randy Kester, Kevin Franke’s attorney, Russell and Eve have “undergone medical care and have been subjected to psychological assessments and ongoing mental health treatment” as they recover from the abuse they endured, KUTV reported.
“The children remain in professional care for the aggravated psychological and emotional injuries suffered,” the filing continued.
Additionally, Kevin filed for custody of his four youngest children shortly after their mother’s arrest, per The Salt Lake Tribune. However, as of February 2024, the custody case (which is sealed from the public) is ongoing.
“(Kevin) is making an effort to rebuild and bridge these relationships rather than sling mud and point fingers,” his lawyer, Randy Kester, told TODAY.com. “He is focused on doing what is best for his kids.”
