Jodi Hildebrandt’s Niece Alleged Abuse Years Before Ruby Franke Case

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Content warning: This story discusses child abuse.

Ruby Franke‘s children were not Jodi Hildebrandt’s first victims, according to Jodi’s relative. 

Over ten years before Ruby and Jodi were arrested in 2023 and both pleaded guilty to four counts of serious child abuse, Jodi’s niece, Jessi Hildebrandt, had already accused the therapist of abuse.

Netflix’s documentary, Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, shows that in 2009, while living with Jodi Hildebrandt in American Fork, Utah, Jessi contacted the police to report concerns about her.

In a 2023 interview featured in the documentary, Jessi explained that when she was a teenager, she was left in this person’s care for almost a year. During that time, she says she was tied up, had duct tape used on her, and was even forced to sleep outside in the snow.

I felt incredibly alone and was constantly told I was a threat to others, and shouldn’t be around people. My mother never let me close my bedroom door, believing I was constantly engaging in sexual acts and addicted to pornography – things I didn’t even understand at the time. I simply believed her because she used religion and faith to control me.

Jessi said Jodi tried to make her life miserable, hoping it would force her to admit to wrongdoing. Jessi explained that Jodi would even falsely accuse her of things, all in an attempt to end the abuse.

According to the documentary Evil Influencer, Jessi reported the issue to the police, but the case was closed in March 2010.

After checking his department’s records, American Fork Police Chief Cameron Paul told KSL in 2023 that he couldn’t find any proof a report had been sent to the Division of Child and Family Services as originally intended.

Look, I’m taking full responsibility here. If our team didn’t send something, then it simply wasn’t sent. We’ve done a thorough search, checked all our records and related lists, and honestly, I’m pretty confident it never made its way to DCFS. It’s a small chance, of course, but based on everything I’ve seen, that’s what I believe happened.

Cameron went on to note that the officers involved are no longer with the department.

Honestly, I just feel like they could have really looked into things more closely. Maybe the officer did do some extra digging, but it just wasn’t written down properly, you know? It’s frustrating because I really wish someone had taken the time to get to the bottom of it all, to really understand what happened. It just feels like they rushed things and missed something important, and it’s been bothering me ever since.

Jessi noted in the doc that they tried to do what they “could.”

Honestly, it was so frustrating. No one would listen to me, and I get why – it sounded crazy. She’d completely undermined my reputation, and I was just a kid, a really upset teenager at the time. It felt like no one took me seriously because of it.

In August 2023, Ruby and Jodi, partners in a life coaching business called ConneXions, were arrested after Ruby’s son managed to escape from Jodi’s home and get help from a neighbor. Police reported the boy was severely malnourished and had duct tape around his wrists and ankles. They later found his sister at Jodi’s house, also suffering from malnutrition.

Jessi said the arrest wasn’t surprising.

Jessi told ABC News in 2023 that she and others had known about Jodi’s behavior for nearly 15 years – Jodi had done this to her before, and people had seen it happen without intervening. Jessi emphasized that calling harmful actions ‘tough love’ or ‘strict parenting’ doesn’t excuse them; it’s still abuse.

In February 2024, during her sentencing, Ruby explained her behavior. She and her then-husband, Kevin Franke, began making videos in 2015 with their six children on their YouTube channel, called ‘8 Passengers.’ Ruby stated she had been convinced that the world was a dangerous and evil place, which influenced her actions.

Ruby told the court, as shown in the documentary, that she had been misled for the last four years by advice that led her to believe in something false. She explained that she cut herself off from people who disagreed with her, allowing her warped view of the world to go unchallenged.

Ruby and Jodi could be in prison for anywhere from four to thirty years, depending on a decision made by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.

 

TopMob News has contacted Jodi’s lawyer regarding Jessi’s claims, but they haven’t received a response yet.

Read on for a closer look at the case against Ruby and Jodi.

Utah police responded to a report of a severely malnourished child. According to a press release, the child was found to be extremely thin, with visible wounds and duct tape on their arms and legs. They were immediately taken to the hospital in critical condition.

The boy was later identified as the 12-year-old son of YouTuber Ruby Franke, according to court documents obtained by NBC News. He escaped from the home of Ruby’s business partner, Jodi Hildebrant, by climbing out a window and then asked a neighbor for help, the documents state.

Officers then searched a nearby house and found another child who was also severely malnourished. This child was also taken to the hospital, according to the official statement.

Investigators found Ruby’s nine-year-old daughter hiding, extremely frightened, alone in a closet at Jodi’s house, according to evidence released by the Washington County Attorney’s Office.

Ruby was arrested in Utah on charges of seriously abusing a child. Jodi, who founded the life coaching business ConneXions in 2007, was also arrested. Former clients told NBC News they felt ConneXions functioned like a cult, using teachings similar to those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On August 31st, TopMob reported that Shari Franke, Ruby’s adult daughter who is separated from her, responded to the news on her Instagram Story.

Shari, born in 2003, expressed her family’s relief that justice is finally being served. She said they had been trying for years to get the police and child protective services to take action, and are happy they finally did. While children are now safe, she acknowledged there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Ruby’s sisters—Ellie Mecham, Bonnie Hoellein, and Julie Deru—publicly stated they believed the YouTuber’s arrest was necessary.

We’ve remained silent about Ruby Franke for the past three years to protect her children. We’ve been working privately to ensure their safety. Before continuing with our usual content, we wanted to acknowledge the recent events, and after doing so, we won’t be discussing the matter publicly any further.

The siblings said Ruby’s kids are “now safe, which is the number one priority.”

Ruby Franke, a former YouTuber known for her ‘8 Passengers’ channel, and her business associate, Jodi Hildebrandt, have each been officially charged with six felonies related to child abuse in Washington County, Utah.

Ruby’s husband, Kevin Franke, has stated he had no part in the crimes she’s accused of. His attorney, Randy Kester, told Good Morning America that the couple had been separated for 13 months before Ruby’s arrest.

From what I’ve gathered, and speaking as someone who looks closely at character, this individual is genuinely a kind and gentle person. Importantly, there’s never been any suggestion or accusation of physical harm towards his children or anyone else, which is incredibly significant.

Kevin has officially filed for divorce from the social media influencer, as confirmed by a court document obtained by NBC News.

On December 18th, TopMob reported that Ruby had pleaded guilty to four charges. According to the Associated Press, she expressed her remorse, saying, “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”

Jodi would also plead guilty to four counts of second-degree felony aggravated child abuse.

Both women received four prison sentences, each ranging from one to fifteen years, to be served one after the other. However, the total time they will serve is limited to Utah’s maximum sentence of 30 years.

The parent vlogger apologized during her sentencing to her six kids and estranged husband.

She told the court that for the last four years, she had been following advice that led her to believe things that weren’t true. She explained that she became increasingly disconnected from reality and avoided anyone who questioned her beliefs.

She went on to say, “My children, you are a piece of my heart. I used to confuse what was good and bad, right and wrong, all for you. I sacrificed everything gentle, secure, and positive in my life for your sake.”

Prosecutors made public disturbing entries from her diary, revealing how she mistreated her children, including her twelve-year-old son whom she referred to as “Satanic.”

In a journal entry from July 10, 2023 – her son’s twelfth birthday – she described how he secretly looks for chances to act when he thinks no one is paying attention, then quickly moves away. She wrote that if he wants to be like a religious figure, he needs to be completely and precisely obedient, without any hesitation or deception.

She wrote about punishing her children by beating them and withholding food and water.

After Ruby’s arrest, prosecutors made public an audio recording of Kevin speaking with investigators. In the recording, he discussed limitations that he said he experienced while living with Ruby.

Kevin explained in an audio recording that Ruby had imposed a lot of restrictions on him. He said he could leave, but needed Ruby’s permission to return home. He wasn’t allowed to eat in the kitchen or go upstairs, where Jodi was, without her approval – essentially, he felt controlled in his own house. Ruby decided when and how they would communicate, which Kevin found very difficult.

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2026-01-15 19:18