Current:Home > reviewsUtah mom who gave YouTube parenting advice arrested on suspicion of child abuse, police say -Wealth Empowerment Academy
Utah mom who gave YouTube parenting advice arrested on suspicion of child abuse, police say
View
Date:2025-04-14 07:02:42
A Utah woman who gave online parenting advice via a once popular YouTube channel has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated child abuse after her malnourished son escaped out a window and ran to a nearby house for help, authorities said.
Ruby Franke, whose now defunct channel “8 Passengers” followed her family, was arrested Wednesday night in the southern Utah city of Ivins. She was taken into custody at the home of Jodi Hildebrandt, who owns a counseling business that she says teaches people to improve their lives by being honest, responsible and humble.
Franke has recently appeared in YouTube videos with Hildebrandt that were posted online by Hildebrandt’s counseling business, ConneXions Classroom.
Franke’s 12-year-old son climbed out of a window in Hildebrandt’s residence in Ivins and ran to a neighbor’s house Wednesday morning and asked for food and water, according to an affidavit filed by an officer with the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department.
The neighbor saw duct tape on the boy’s ankles and wrists and called law enforcement, the affidavit said. The boy was taken to a hospital, where he was put on a medical hold “due to his deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and from his malnourishment,” arrest records state.
Franke’s 10-year-old daughter was later found malnourished in Hildebrandt’s house and was also taken to the hospital, officers said. Two other of Franke’s children were in the custody of child protection services, the affidavit said.
Both Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on suspicion of two felony counts of aggravated child abuse, though charges have not been filed, according to authorities.
Franke requested an attorney and did not speak with officers, the affidavit said. That attorney had not publicly been identified Thursday. A voicemail left at a phone listing for Ruby Franke’s husband seeking comment was not immediately returned. Emails seeking comment sent to addresses linked to the family were also not returned Thursday.
A voicemail left with Hildebrandt’s counseling business seeking comment on Thursday was not immediately returned.
A judge on Thursday granted the detective’s request that Franke be denied bail. The detective cited “the severity of the injuries of her two kids located in the home,” and told the judge the Department of Child and Family Services had taken four of Franke’s children into custody and the officer had yet to speak to two of them.
While the children were found at Hildebrandt’s house, Franke had been seen on a YouTube video filmed at Hildebrandt’s house and posted two days earlier, indicating that Franke was present at the residence and had knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment and neglect, arrest records said.
Hildebrandt was also denied bail, court records said.
veryGood! (1416)
Related
- Connie Chiume, South African 'Black Panther' actress, dies at 72
- Four men found dead in a park in northwest Georgia, investigation underway
- US expands area in Mexico to apply for border asylum appointments, hoping to slow push north
- Horoscopes Today, August 24, 2024
- 'Most Whopper
- Israel and Hezbollah exchange heavy fire, raising fears of an all-out regional war
- Powerball winning numbers for August 24: Jackpot now worth $44 million
- When is Labor Day 2024? What to know about history of holiday and why it's celebrated
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- In boosting clean energy in Minnesota, Walz lays foundation for climate influence if Harris wins
Ranking
- Oklahoma parole board recommends governor spare the life of man on death row
- Water Issues Confronting Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail Trickle Down Into the Rest of California
- Hiker's body found in Grand Canyon after flash floods; over 100 airlifted to safety
- How women of color with Christian and progressive values are keeping the faith — outside churches
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Sierra Nevada mountains see dusting of snow in August
- Woman struck by boat propeller at New Jersey shore dies of injuries
- 'I never seen a slide of this magnitude': Alaska landslide kills 1, at least 3 injured
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
US Open 2024: Olympic gold medalist Zheng rallies to win her first-round match
Former England national soccer coach Sven-Goran Eriksson dies at 76
Lake Mary, Florida wins Little League World Series over Chinese Taipei in extra innings on walk-off bunt, error
Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby: Live updates
Where Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber's Son Jack Sits in the Massive Baldwin Family Tree
Joey Lawrence's Wife Samantha Cope Breaks Silence Amid Divorce
Emily in Paris Season 4’s Part 2 Trailer Teases New Love and More Drama Than Ever Before