YouTuber Ruby Franke used to run a popular vlog channel called “8 Passengers,” sharing snippets of life with her husband Kevin and their six kids—Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve— to an audience of over two million people.
But the family’s story took a dark turn in August 2023, when Franke was arrested on child abuse charges after her son was found malnourished with duct tape on open wounds. Franke, along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, are currently being held in custody without bail, and their sentencing hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 20.
When Franke was arrested in August, her oldest daughter Shari uploaded an Instagram story. “Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” she said. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up. The kids are safe, but there’s a long road ahead.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the case.
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What are the charges against Franke and Hildebrandt? Will they face prison khbrknews?
Both Franke and Hildebrandt were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse after they were formally charged in September. They both pleaded guilty to four counts. Hildebrandt had two of her counts dismissed as a part of her plea deal, the AP reports, while Franke pleaded not guilty to two counts. They have both agreed to serve khbrknews in prison as a term in the plea deal, the length of which will be decided by a judge in tomorrow’s sentencing. Aggravated child abuse charges can come with a sentencing of 15 years each.
The videos on Franke’s YouTube channel “8 Passengers” centered around her parenting style. The channel was started in 2015 but has since been deleted. A spokesperson for YouTube told TIME in an emailed statement: “We can confirm that we have terminated two channels linked to Ruby Franke in accordance with our creator responsibility guidelines….
