Washington County Attorney’s Office Releases Evidence in Child Abuse Case Involving Ruby Franke
The Washington County Attorney’s Office has recently made public several pieces of evidence related to the child abuse case involving Ruby Franke, a popular parent blogger. The documents shed light on why prosecutors believe that Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were motivated by “religious extremism” to inflict “horrific abuse” on Franke’s children.
Background of the Case
Franke, who entered a guilty plea for four counts of aggravated child abuse in December 2023, had previously documented the abuse of her children on her now-deleted YouTube channel named “8 Passengers.” Initially charged with six counts, she pleaded not guilty to two of them as part of a plea deal to testify against Hildebrandt.
Evidence Reveals Details of the Abuse
Hildebrandt, in her own agreement with prosecutors, also pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. One of the videos released by the attorney’s office on Friday shows Franke’s 12-year-old son, who had escaped from Hildebrandt’s house on August 30, 2023, appearing wounded and malnourished while knocking on a neighbor’s door for food and water. The boy was later found to have deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and to be malnourished when taken to the hospital.
Neighbor’s Account
According to the neighbor’s witness account, the boy, identified in documents as ‘R,’ asked for assistance and requested to be taken to the nearest police station. The neighbor noted that there was duct tape around the child’s ankles and wrists. The boy was then taken by first responders to the hospital, where he was placed on a medical hold due to his deep lacerations and malnourishment.
Search of Hildebrandt’s Home
Responding officers then conducted a search of Hildebrandt’s house, where they found Franke’s 9-year-old daughter “terrified and hiding in a closet,” also malnourished. The Washington County Attorney’s Office reported that Franke’s handwritten journal, of which a redacted version was also released on Friday, revealed months of abuse inflicted upon the children. This included making them stand and sleep outdoors, making them do wall sits, shaving the girl’s head, and at times withholding water, food, or oxygen.
Franke’s Journal Entries
In one entry dated July 11, 2023, Franke wrote, “[R] was told to stand in the sun with his sun hat. He is defiant. ‘No.’ I tell him a couple more times. [R] or I should say, his demon stays in the shade.” In another entry, she mentioned, “I told [R] that he needs God. I invited him to fast and pray.” Franke also wrote, “Satanic choices lead one to becoming destitute – even in the most affluential homes.”
Incident Report and Sentencing
According to a detailed incident report in the case, Ruby Franke’s estranged husband, Kevin Franke, had been unaware that their children were living with Hildebrandt and had not spoken to or seen them in a year. Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were each sentenced to four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in a Utah prison in February 2024. The length of their prison sentence is now overseen by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
Attorneys’ Comments
News Finder reached out to both parties’ attorneys for comment regarding the Washington County Attorney’s Office’s evidence release in the case on Friday. No response has been received at the time of writing.
Conclusion
The documents and videos made public by the Washington County Attorney’s Office provide harrowing details of the alleged child abuse committed by Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt. The evidence suggests that the women believed that the abuse was necessary to teach the children how to properly repent for imagined “sins” and to cast out evil spirits from their bodies. The impact of this case continues to be felt as the legal proceedings unfold.
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