All over the news, this tragedy feels oddly familiar. The fear, anger, frustration, disgust, worry and heartbreak. It’s something I’ve felt before, and I know why. Ruby Franke reminds me of another monster “mother” all over the news in my hometown. Lori Vallow and Ruby Franke have an awful lot in similar. It’s particularly gut-wrenching for me. I was going to school in Rexburg, Idaho when Tylee and JJ Vallow went missing. I was part of the community looking for them and longing for them. I was there when they found them in Chad Daybell’s backyard. I was there when they started the trials. I have been a part of this case since the beginning. And now, Ruby Franke. She and her family lived in my town. I wasn’t aware of them until the news broke, but they were there, living, breathing and enduring abuse probably just a couple of blocks from me. I think of the poor Franke children and everything they’ve had to endure, and I feel sick. I’ve been obsessively looking at all of the news articles and information as it’s being released about the Franke family and Jodi Hildebrandt, and I can’t help but notice the eerie similarities between these two cases.

For many years now I’ve wanted to delve into the case of Tylee and JJ Vallow, and I’ve started many times. But it’s always been too heavy, too personal, and too real. But here we are again, and I’m angry and confused. So I’m going to write about this, because maybe by researching and delving into this case, I can finally find some healing. Just maybe.

This case is recent. Very recent. Ruby Franke was just arrested on August 30th, 2023. That means that what information the public knows and what is being divulged is limited, and for good reason. Public knowledge and information is very powerful in cases like this. This affects how a case will go, the ability in finding a fair jury, and so much more. I also want to clarify that Ruby Franke, Jodi Hildebrandt and any other future suspects in this case are innocent until proven guilty. That being said, I am human and I have my feelings about this. I will try to set aside my feelings and present the facts. For now, let’s just dive in and discuss what we know.

Who is Ruby Franke?

Ruby Franke is the mother of 6 children and wife to Kevin Franke. Their family made their home in Springville, UT. In 2015, she and Kevin started a YouTube channel called ‘8 Passengers’ and it quickly grew in fame. Eventually the channel reached over 2 million subscribers. In these videos, Ruby would film her husband and family in many normal daily activities, but something became very clear over time. Her thoughts and beliefs on parenting were radical and frankly alarming to many viewers.

8 Passengers

Examples from Their YouTube Channel

As someone who didn’t know that this family existed before the case broke, I didn’t really know what to expect from this family vlog. I knew it was probably bad (as many family vlogs are) but when I saw some of these clips, I couldn’t believe it. Many people in the TikTok community started digging up clips from Ruby Franke’s channel.

Ruby Franke and the 8 Passengers videos have received quite a lot of criticism in the past. There were even past reports to police and social services from channel viewers and neighbors claiming that something wasn’t right in this family. Ruby’s defense was always that it was her parenting style and people should mind their business. But there is a large difference between parenting style and straight up abuse. That’s one of the things this case hope to determine.

In these YouTube videos, especially recently, a clear pattern emerges of totalitarian control, treating food as a reward, and cruel and unusual punishments. While these videos were mostly taken before Ruby partnered up with Jodi, there are signs that Ruby’s parenting style isn’t standard, to say the least. Below are some clips and examples of the environment in which these kids were growing in.

https://www.tiktok.com/@8passengersover/video/7273940007717522730

https://www.tiktok.com/@the_internet_is_foreverr/video/7267362559613734186

https://www.tiktok.com/@8passengerscancelledd/video/7274419231440244014

@lyleanderikmenendez11

a shoter clip from the longer version of this video. posting the part 3 to this video of theirs next. #rubyfranke #8passengers #jodihildebrant

♬ original sound – Menendez Brothers 💜

@iceice_jamie

lmaooo ok, whatever helps you sleep at night *sis* #rubyfranke #8passengers #sharifranke #fyp #foryoupage

♬ original sound – Jamie

There is seriously so much more. I’ll share more examples of the gross hypocrisies and abuse on my TikTok channel, so check it out if you’re interested in seeing more.

Moms of Truth – Jodi Hildebrandt Joins the Picture

Jodi Hildebrandt was Ruby Franke’s business partner. Together they hosted a podcast called “Moms of Truth”. But compared to the immense amount of knowledge we have on Ruby and the daily life of her and her family, Jodi is much more of a mystery.

We know that she was a therapist in Utah counseling couples and families. She established her business, ConneXions to provide counseling services for relationships and parenting. According to some of her former patients though, this was much less about helping people, and much more about gaining control. In an NBC news article, it is stated that several former patients of Hildebrandt’s told NBC that she “methodically separated spouses, pathologized patients’ behaviors as evidence of various addictions and encouraged people to cut off others who weren’t living in accordance with her teachings.” (Can you say CULT?!?) In this same article, Stephanie Jones, a former patient of Hildebrandt’s states, “The theory was that if you’re meeting with Jodi, then you are all living in truth. And so she didn’t want you talking to anyone else about your problems. She wanted you talking to people that were also living in truth… She wanted everything to stay in the group. You’re not allowed to have a different opinion than her.”

Ruby Franke joined in business with Hildebrandt and started appearing on the website more and more. These two were preaching that anyone who isn’t living in their so-defined “truth” (including children) should be “cut off from the rest of their families”. 

Learning more about Jodi Hildebrandt and her beliefs feels like a missing puzzle piece in this picture. Jodi’s extreme beliefs combined with Ruby’s already existing behaviors such as using food as punishment/reward seemed to have tragic consequences. I think that looking at these beliefs helps us understand why Ruby and Kevin separated and why these kids suffered the abuse that they did. If Kevin and they kids weren’t buying into Ruby’s new beliefs, she may have cut them off from her and from their necessities.

It’s been stated that once Jodi entered Ruby’s life, Ruby changed. While I can definitely see this, especially with what we hear about Jodi from former patients, Ruby only joined Jodi’s channel in 2022, and Ruby has been posting extreme and strange parenting tactics from far before that. I think she had extreme views to start with that increased in severity once she made a connection with Jodi. Anyway, enough of me theorizing about what in the heck is going on with these two.

We also have inside information about Jodi Hildebrandt from her niece, Jessi Hildebrandt. Jessi was sent to live with her aunt, Jodi. During that time, Jessi experienced deep and profound abuse at the hands of Jodi. She was cut off from all family, friends, and the outside world. In this interview with Jessi, she claimed that she needed love, but she was instead given rules and structure. And it just got worse from there. Thanks to Jessi expressing her feelings and experience, we have more insight into just who Jodi Hildebrandt is, and the damage that she can cause.

The Escape

On August 30th, 2023 in St. George Utah, a neighbor of Jodi Hildebrandt’s made a call to the police. He stated that a child with duct tape on his hands and feet was knocking on his door requesting food and water. The neighbor noticed many wounds on the boy and considered him to be extremely malnourished. This little boy was the Franke’s little boy. From there, he was transported to Saint George Regional Hospital where he was placed on medical hold due to his deep lacerations and malnourishment.

Shortly after police arrived to assess the situation, they found the younger Franke daughter in the Hildebrandt residence, in a similar condition to her brother. She, unlike her brother, refused medical care. It took the police and professionals four hours to convince her to be treated. Finally when she received care at the Saint George Regional Hospital, the medical professionals determined her to be malnourished as well. 

What We Know So Far

In a Law & Crime Network video, Jesse Webber discusses some of the disturbing facts that we know so far about this case. These things come from the Affidavit of Probable Cause that was issued. Jesse also sits down with Bobby Chacon, a former FBI agent, to better understand the legal jargon and provide insight on the case. 

So far, here’s what we know:

1. We have two distinct victims. 
2. They were both found to be living at Jodi Hildebrandt’s home in St. George and in direct care of Jodi Hildebrandt. 
3. Ruby Franke was seen on a YouTube video filmed in Jodi’s basement posted two days before this incident. This is crucial evidence that puts Franke in the home and shows that she had knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment and neglect of both children. 
4. Ruby Franke requested a lawyer and did not speak with the authorities. This is incredibly strange as a normal parent would show concern and fear for their children. They would want answers as to how this happened to their children. If Ruby didn’t have any part of this, she wouldn’t have felt the need to immediately lawyer up without uttering a word. 
5. A pattern of abuse has emerged, which we’ll go into in the next section.
6. Ruby and Jodi are being charged with 6 counts of aggravated child abuse.

Court and Their Charges

There are several reasons I believe this case has received so much interest. First, Ruby Franke paraded her family in front of the entire world to see for many years. Many people watched the “8 Passengers” YouTube channel and knew of the family. So when someone already in the public eye gets charged with SIX counts of aggravated child abuse, people are going to be looking for justice. Second, I think that anytime a woman commits these kinds of crimes that Ruby and Jodie are being charged with, the case is going to be front page news. It’s something that doesn’t happen as much and it piques the public’s interest. Especially when the victims in question are the CHILDREN of the arrested. Lastly, this case hits home for so many of us because we feel as if we’re experiencing some sort of tragic déjà vu. While the outcomes are very different in the Lori Vallow – Chad Daybell, a lot of the circumstances leading up to arrests of these parents are the same. I feel like the young victim saved his sister and himself from a fate similar to Tylee and JJ Vallows fate. 

These many reasons lead to the close public attention that we’re experiencing with this case. When Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt appeared separately in court in St. George on September 8th to discuss their bail, there were a massive 1200 viewers on the live stream. This clogged the system and the judge actually had issues joining. Eventually, technical difficulties were solved and the judge started the hearing. The ruling for both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt is that they are going to be held without bail in Washington County. 

Felony Child Abuse Charges

As previously mentioned, Ruby and Jodi are each being held on 6 counts of aggravated child abuse. There are two victims listed in these charges. (The younger Franke boy and girl). The counts are as follows:

1. COUNT 1 – TORTURE of RF
2. COUNT 2 – MALNUTRITION of RF
3. COUNT 3 – EMOTIONAL/INTELECTUAL HARM of RF
4. COUNT 4 and 5 are two of the previous counts but as applied to EF
5. COUNT 6 – “Such serious physical injuries includes any combination of two or more physical injuries inflicted by the same person, either at the same time or on different occasions.” applied to EF

According to Bobby Chacon, this sixth charge is very specific. It means that a pattern of abuse has been noted and that the children are talking. The authorities couldn’t know that the same person inflicted the injuries except if the children talked to them and told them. This is great news because getting the children to speak is a huge hurdle in these cases. The fact that they already have this information ready to use in the upcoming trial is a huge win for these kids and their case. As Bobby Chacon says, the only true witnesses are in the house. Without their testimonies and evidence, it is hard to convict their abuser. 

Kevin Franke’s Involvement

Many people wonder about Kevin Franke, Ruby Franke’s husband. I don’t want to go too much into him because he hasn’t been criminally charged by the authorities, and the most information I can find is given to us by his attorney. But allegedly, Ruby kicked Kevin out about a year before the Franke boy escaped Jodi’s residence. According to his attorney, Randy Kester, Kevin wasn’t seeing the kids at all because Ruby told him that they needed to work on their marriage. She allegedly said that everything was better with him not in the home or communicating with the children. I think that if this is true, it tracks with what former patients of Jodi’s stated about being cut off from those that didn’t “follow the truth”. I wonder if Kevin wasn’t buying Jodi’s crap and Ruby kicked him out for it. Of course, this is all alleged and we can’t be certain what happened in their home. 

One question I’m left wondering is if Kevin is going to take care of the children now. We can’t know the answer yet because this will be determined by the family court ruling. So far, authorities haven’t charged him with anything, but it still needs to be determined if he is a suitable guardian for the children. It will be interesting to see how this continues to play out.

Lori Vallow vs. Ruby Franke

Comparing Lori Vallow and Ruby Franke is like comparing a tornado to a hurricane. They’re both terrible. But it’s crazy to me how similar their roads to downfall really were.

Lori Vallow and Ruby Franke Similarities

• Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• Lived in small unassuming towns (MY towns)
• Started associating with extreme cultish figures
• Cut off the people closest to them
• Distanced themselves from those they believed to be “evil” or “unrighteous”
• Didn’t cooperate with authorities in helping their children
• They even look alike… (see below)

I do want to say that while Lori Vallow and Ruby Franke are very similar, especially in their downfall, they are not quite the same. While these stories are different, I believe it’s because we came in on each case at very different times. With Lori Vallow, our community had been searching for these children for months while Lori was exploring Hawaii with her new husband. Thanks to the young Franke, we came in on the Franke case much earlier. If the abuse had continued, I could see this Franke case following the same tragic plot riddled with missing kids, evasive parents, and some gross cult-based justification. The Franke boy and the good Samaritan neighbor changed the story.

I hope that’s where the similarities stop. I hope that this trial doesn’t take years like the Lori Vallow case did. I hope that Ruby Franke snaps out of it, confesses to her crimes, and does the time. But most importantly of all, I really hope that the Franke kids can go on to live beautiful, hopeful and happy lives. 

The Healing of the Children

Looking at this case, I am forever grateful that the Franke siblings are alive, especially with the lens of comparing this case to the Vallow case. They are safe now. They are with their family who loves them, with people dedicated to keeping them safe. Unfortunately, while they are safe and protected from further harm at the hands of their abusers, they still have a long healing journey ahead of them.

Bobby Chacon, former FBI agent, discusses just what their future might look like now that they are out of their abusive environment. He specifically discusses the harm of child starvation. When a child is growing, they are in extra need of all of the proper nutrients and calories. Because it looks like the children didn’t get the proper nutrition, they may be looking at a lifetime of effects from that specific part of the abuse. Then there is the other part: the emotional side of the abuse. Chacon states that these kids are most likely going to need a lot of therapy to properly function. It’s so sad to me that these kids were raised in a home thinking that what was happening to them was normal. It was all they knew. The physical, nutritional, and emotional trauma they’ve endured has lasting effects, but now that they are safe, they can start their journey to a much better life. 

One shining light in this case is Shari. Shari is Kevin and Ruby Franke’s oldest. She is 20 years old and an absolute warrior. In the video below, Shari is seen leaving a family court hearing concerning what will happen to these kids. Although she’s just a baby herself, and most likely has trauma of her own, she is really stepping it up for these kids when they need someone most.

@stephanie.marburger

Shari Franke leaving the court hearing. He trying to save his own a$$. She’s ready to win the war 💯 #sharifranke #kevinfranke #rubyfranke #8passengers #foryoupage #fyp

♬ Little Girl Gone – CHINCHILLA

Sources