On the surface, vlogger Ruby Franke appeared to have the perfect family. The Utah mom made a name for herself posting about life with her husband and six kids on her YouTube channel, “8 Passengers.” But the reality of life in the Franke household was far different – and more disturbing – than what was shown to fans. 

The new Hulu docuseries, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, explores the rise and fall of Franke, whose abuse of her children was eventually exposed when her emaciated 12-year-old son showed up on a neighbor’s doorstep, begging for help. But where is Franke today?

Who is Ruby Franke?

After her son’s escape in August 2023, police began investigating the Franke family. They discovered clear signs of abuse and malnourishment in Franke’s 9-year-old daughter as well as her son. According to the Washington County Attorney’s Office, there was evidence the children “were regularly denied food, water, beds to sleep in, and virtually all forms of entertainment” in addition to being “forced to do manual labor outdoors in the extreme summer heat without shoes or socks.” Both children were beaten, and the boy had been “bound hand and foot” following a previous escape attempt. The investigation pointed to “religious extremism,” including Franke’s belief that her children were demonically possessed, as a cause of the abuse. 

Soon after, Franke was arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse, along with her business partner, a Mormon therapist and life coach named Jodi Hildebrandt. (Ruby and her estranged husband Kevin Franke had been living separately for more than a year at the time of her arrest. He was not charged with any crime.)

In December 2023, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. Hildebrandt also pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. In February 2024, both women were sentenced to four to 30 years in prison. 

Ruby Franke is in prison in Utah 

At her sentencing, Franke apologized for hurting her kids while also claiming that she had been “masterfully manipulated” by Hildebrandt. 

“”I’ll never stop crying for hurting your tender souls … I took from you all that was soft and safe and good,” NPR reported her saying to her children, who were not present at the hearing. 

Franke is currently serving her sentence at Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City. Hildebrandt is in the same facility, and she and Franke are incarcerated in separate sections of the same housing unit, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Corrections told Today.  

Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke is now streaming on Hulu.

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