5 key details about Jodi Hildebrandt's crimes

Therapist and businesswoman Jodi Hildebrandt pleaded guilty in December 2023 to four counts of child abuse in a Utah court, along with her business partner and YouTuber Ruby Franke.

Her crimes and subsequent convictions will be explored in the upcoming episode of The Curious Case of..., a six-episode series on Investigation Discovery that explores mind-bending criminal cases.

The series premiered on January 13, 2025, and will air its final episode on February 10, 2025. This episode will explore in detail the story of Jodi Hildebrandt and her accomplice Ruby Franke, exposing their controversial methods of parenting.

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5 details about the case of Jodi Hildebrandt

Before The Curious Case of... airs the upcoming episode, here are five shocking details about Jodi Hildebrandt.

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1. Jodi Hildebrandt was a therapist and parenting coach

Hildebrandt was a therapist who also ran a parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel, ConneXions Classrooms, along with Ruby Franke. Franke had her own channel, 8 Passengers, where she detailed her life with her husband and six children. After she separated from her husband, her channel became defunct and she joined Hildebrandt as her business partner, appearing on several of her videos.

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2. Ruby Franke's son escaped to expose Jodi Hildebrandt

It all started when Ruby Franke's 12-year-old malnourished and badly wounded son escaped the home of Hildebrandt and asked a neighbor to help him. When authorities were notified about this, they raided her house and discovered that she and Franke were following an extremely strict method of parenting Franke's children which had crossed the boundary from disciplining to child abuse.

The police found Franke's son emaciated, with duct tape around his wrists and ankles. The boy had also revealed that Hildebrandt had put the restraints on him and then used cayenne pepper and honey to treat his wounds.

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3. Further investigations reveal shocking evidence

When investigations were carried out by authorities, Franke's 10-year-old malnourished and physically abused daughter was also rescued. The crime scene photos, body camera video, and interrogation tapes were also revealed after the arrest of the two women.

It was revealed that their methods of parenting were motivated by religious extremism. Shocking accounts from journals written by Franke were also exposed where she described how she abused and starved her children, forcing them to work outside in the summer heat while isolating them from the rest of the world.

They were also made to sleep on hard floors and sometimes locked up in Hildebrandt's basement.

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4. Franke and Hildebrandt arrested

Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested on August 30, 2023. Following investigations, Hildebrandt was initially charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse for actions towards Franke's children.

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5. Plea deal and sentencing

The charges against Hildebrandt are second-degree felonies that each carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. However, Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four charges of aggravated child abuse and Franke also pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse as well as testified against Hildebrandt. This led to the dropping of the two charges.

The plea agreement included details of the crimes which are described as the "physical torture" of two children which Hildebrandt either carried out or allowed. Both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for child abuse.

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Catch the full story of Jodi Hildebrandt on Investigation Discovery today.