A mother in the United States has been charged with child abuse after it was alleged she starved, beat and isolated her seven adopted children, who regularly appeared on a popular family YouTube channel.
Machelle Hackney, from Arizona, was arrested along with her two adult sons on Friday. The children, aged between about six and 15, appeared on the Fantastic Adventures channel, which has more than 700,000 subscribers and a quarter of a billion total views. Videos posted about once a week showed the children dressed as superheroes in fantastical scenarios with animated effects.
Police documents stated that officers found the children malnourished, with pale complexions, dark rings under their eyes, and underweight. They reported being thirsty and hungry. One child was allegedly found in a cupboard. The children have been removed from Ms Hackney's care.
Ms Hackney faces seven counts of child abuse, five of unlawful imprisonment and two of child molestation, which she denies. Her sons Logan and Ryan Hackney are charged with failing to report child abuse. YouTube has suspended monetisation on the channel pending investigation.
