20/20 ‘Ruby Franke: From Momfluencer to Felon’

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Published 2024-03-23
Ruby Franke’s YouTube channel “8 Passengers” was a portrait of social media success. For years, the wife and mother of six, amassed nearly 2.5 million followers documenting the daily life of her children. However, the image of the perfect family began to crack when her controversial videos displayed her strict parenting. In August of 2023, one of Ruby’s children, malnourished with duct tape and wounds on his wrists and ankles, escaped the home of Franke’s friend and business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, and asked a neighbor for help. A new “20/20,” with reporting from “Nightline” co-anchor Juju Chang, unravels the unimaginable abuse at the hands of Ruby and Jodi, told through never-before-seen body camera video, recorded calls, and Ruby’s own journal detailing the horrific abuse.

Watch Full Episode Here: shorturl.at/erwBS

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All Comments (21)
  • @xPetyr
    Just imagine how many don't escape and we never find out.
  • @normas2319
    He was so polite the way he said, “can I ask you for two favors, well I guess just one”. That poor baby…some people really don’t deserve to be parents.
  • @peterson8570
    Jodi: "I have my attorney" Cop: That's great, step out of the house
  • @nanasewdear
    That man's 911 call broke my heart. There are some good people in the world and I'm thankful that this little guy found one of them.
  • That neighbor who answered the door is a freaking hero thank you sir who ever you are for saving those children 😢❤️
  • As an adult who is a survivor of child abuse I am so grateful these children are safe. I hope & pray these women NEVER get out. Good on the officer doing such good work.
  • @nickalonzo7575
    I love how she asked, “Do you have a search warrant?”. They don’t need one.
  • @LucaSitan
    Without R being a little hero, him and his sister would surely have died at the hands of those two psychopaths. It's heartbreaking. I don't care about their fake contritions at sentencing. They chose to torture these kids almost to death. It should have been a life sentence .
  • @HolaUnicorn
    The moment the boy said he had 2 favors, but after asking for a ride to the police station he said “well, actually 1 is fine” 😭 lost it right there.
  • @BIMS777
    Despite the trauma, the calmness, composure, and politeness this young man displayed was just outstanding.
  • @laney3182
    I’m impressed by the Utah police taking swift action. Kudos to them for rescuing the children.
  • @spapp3
    There is no way Ruby or Jody deserve early release/parole.
  • Damn… Jodi immediately knew what was happening when they showed up.. Really shows she knew how evil she actually is..
  • I love how the neighbor's tone changes from suspicious when the boy asks for a "favor": "Well, what are they?" --to wholly compassionate once he realizes something is seriously wrong "What's goin' on, son? Have a seat there."
  • @AL.BUNDY.
    Wow. This 11 minute clip barely touched the surface of the story, and it still made me cry for the kids. I know the story has been on the news, but I had been skipping over it and not paying attention to it. I am just learning about it for the 1st time. It is so shockingly sad. I hope the kids are okay.
  • @susanhunter9196
    Their father knew this was going on, he needs to be in jail. Shame on him, he should have protected his children.
  • @NightcoreNewbie
    What makes this situation even sadder is that guy who made the 911 call cared more about that kid in the 10-15 minutes he met him than his mother probably ever did in his entire life. Some people just don't deserve to have kids.
  • @AvatarOwner
    Probably the best documentary-style coverage I’ve found of this and I can’t even watch it because I’m not a USA citizen. Really guys, would have been useful to upload to YouTube or somewhere that all of us can watch this vital NEWS. Not just limited to one country, please
  • @havinghope6315
    The little girl broke my heart, afraid of getting in trouble if she spoke to the police. How anyone could ever be as evil as these people, to do this to these children is beyond any realm of understanding.