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Fox 13 reported that the star of the YouTube channel ‘8 Passengers,’ Ruby Franke, and Jodi Hilebrandt, the founder of the parent counseling service ConneXions were arrested. The two were arrested on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, over child abuse charges.
A Reddit account, 8 Passenger Snark, citing a copy of their arrest booking record from the Washington County sheriff's office, confirmed that the 41-year-old YouTube vlogger was arrested on Wednesday. The booking record stated that Ruby Franke was taken into custody on charges of aggravated child abuse.
Fox 13 did not expound on the details behind the charges. However, the Reddit account claimed that Ruby Franke and her husband, Kevin Franke, were arrested alongside Jodi Hildebrandt on reports of child abuse.
The Reddit account, citing an anonymous insider, said that Ruby and her husband were taken into custody separately on August 30. The mother of six, who has been spending time with ConneXions founder, Jodi Hildebrandt, was supposedly arrested together at the latter’s residence on alleged reports of child malnourishment.
Meanwhile, Fox 13 reported that early Wednesday, the Springville Fire Department responded to a “Mutual Aid incident” at Hildebrandt's residence in Springville. Shortly after, Ruby Franke was placed under arrest alongside her husband Kevin and Hildebrandt.
Ruby Franke and ConneXions founder Jodi Hildebrandt's
relationship explored in the wake of their arrest
As stated earlier, Ruby Franke, a member of the Business Team division of ConneXions, a parenting and business counseling service, was arrested on Wednesday alongside its founder Jodi Hildebrandt on reports of child abuse. Meanwhile, a Reddit account claimed that Ruby’s husband Kevin was also taken into custody on similar charges.
Ruby and Kevin Franke, a Mormon couple with six children - Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russel, and Eve were behind the '8 Passengers' YouTube vlogging channel, which launched in 2015.
The channel gained nearly 2.3 million subscribers through viral videos that derived its content from their parenting experience. The channel was taken down in 2020 after concerning child abuse reports emerged online.
The reports stemmed from a since-deleted video where their 15-year-old son revealed he had been forced to sleep on the floor for months for pulling a prank on his younger brother. Shortly after, the family was investigated by Child Protective Services.
In the ensuing months, the family reportedly fazed out of the vlogging channel and Franke became aligned with ConneXions, a parenting and business counseling service spearheaded by Jodi Hildebrandt. Franke worked as a part of their business team division.
A Reddit account 8 Passenger Snark citing an anonymous source claimed that prior to their arrest, Ruby Franke was spending a lot of time at Jodi Hildebrandt's residence where they were arrested.
The counseling service that charges $75 a week for a 90-minute session allegedly aims to empower each other through healing and growth. The mission statement reads:
“I love to work with people and see them change. I'm very passionate about this work and seeing it go throughout the world. I look forward to working with you and seeing you find peace, happiness, and freedom in your life.”
According to Fox 13, the business also offers counseling on company leadership with an 18-week program, which costs $14,985.
