By: Yana Patel
From founding the YouTube channel “8 Passengers” to being arrested, Ruby Franke, the mother of this channel, is being accused of cruelty. According to NBC News, she was arrested on August 30th, 2023, following the discovery of her underweight son with exposed wounds and duct tape on his extremities. After finding her son, police found four other minors in similar conditions that day as well.
In addition Franke’s business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt was arrested on similar allegations. According to the New York Times, both were charged with six counts of serious child abuse. Each offense carries a maximum jail sentence of 15 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
Franke rose to prominence in 2015 as the creator of the 8 passengers YouTube channel. In which her husband, Kevin Franke, and their six children were featured. The channel had over 2.3 million subscribers before being shut down earlier this year. According to NBC News, the reason for the channel’s deactivation is unknown.
Franke’s harsh parenting style was evident in all of her recordings, prompting viewers to report her to authorities. According to the New York Times, a viewer phoned local CPS on the parents in June 2020 after their then-15-year-old son Chad claimed in a video that he had slept on a beanbag for seven months. As claimed by NBC News, Franke’s public response to this was that the sleeping arrangement was Chad’s “choice” at the time after he was taken from his shared room with his younger brother for behavioral difficulties. Despite this explanation, many viewers are perplexed as to why a 15-year-old boy would willingly choose to sleep on a beanbag for seven months.
Franke also suffered blackflash after publishing a video in which she refused to bring her 6-year-old daughter food. Each of her children was responsible for preparing their own meals and taking them to school. However, when her 6-year-old missed to fulfill this assignment, her teacher called Franke and asked her to bring food into school. It is normal for a parent to go drop off meals, but Franke did the exact opposite. According to NBC News, Franke refused to bring in food and threatened to trash away her daughters’ more cherished possessions.
Hearing Franke’s parenting style has left many of her viewers worried about the safety of their children. As her children grew older, they were subjected to similar acts of retribution. Her two oldest children had already moved out years prior to the incident that resulted in Franke’s arrest. Shari Franke, Franke’s oldest daughter, posted about her mother’s arrest on her Instagram account the same day. Her post included a photo of her mother being detained with the phrase “Finally.” According to NBC News, Shari had cut off contact with her immediate family. Shari had a lot to say following her mother’s arrest, and she has made several tweets expressing her gratitude for justice being given to her family.
Not only did Franke’s daughter post about her arrest, but her three sisters, Elle Mechem, Julie Griffiths Deru, and Bonnie Hoellein, also posted about it on Instagram, saying that her arrest “needed to happen.” People have learned from this post that Franke’s family members were aware of the punishments and cruelty she was inflicting on her children but did nothing about it. It is hard to believe that Franke’s family members cared for the children if they never tried stopping what was happening.
Franke and her business partner have been on trial since that day and continue to remain so. The children are being held by the state as their father, Kevin Franke, fights for their release. Many people hope that Ruby is sentenced to prison time for the horrific torture she has inflicted on the children. They want the kids to be able to live calmly without their mother from now on, without having to worry about her.