Channel 5 Investigates the Ruby Franke Scandal
Channel 5 is airing a new true crime documentary, Our Evil Mother: The Ruby Franke Scandal, on Tuesday, June 29, at 10pm. The film examines the rise and fall of Ruby Franke, a former YouTube parenting influencer who had over two million subscribers on her channel, 8 Passengers.
Franke, a mother of six, launched the channel in 2015 with her ex-husband, posting parenting tips and family videos. Her controversial methods, including extreme discipline and withholding food, began to alarm viewers, leading to complaints and calls to police.
The Abuse That Led to Arrest
The tipping point came when Franke's malnourished 12-year-old son escaped from the home of Jodi Hildebrandt in Ivins, Utah, by climbing out a window and begging a neighbor for food and water. Police found the boy with lacerations on his wrists and ankles from being tied up with rope. His nine-year-old sister was also being held captive.
Franke had met Hildebrandt, a family counselor and founder of life coaching company ConneXions, through their church community. Hildebrandt became fixated on 'fixing' Franke's family, believing the youngest two children were evil and possessed by demons.
Sentencing and Prison Time
Both women were arrested in August 2023. Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and was sentenced in February 2024 to four consecutive terms of one to 15 years, totaling four to 30 years. Under Utah's indeterminate sentencing laws, the parole board will decide her release after she serves the mandatory four-year minimum. Her first parole hearing is set for December 2026.
Hildebrandt received the same sentence and is also housed at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City, but in a different section from Franke.
Our Evil Mother: The Ruby Franke Scandal airs tonight on Channel 5.
