Startling information about the mistreatment of her kids by YouTube personality Ruby Franke has been uncovered.

Ruby Franke was once a popular vlogger who gave parenting advice to her millions of followers – but behind the scenes, she was physically torturing and starving at least two of her children.

The 41-year-old mother of six from Utah, who confessed in December to four charges of second-degree child abuse, acknowledged committing a series of appalling actions. These actions included making her children work outside in extreme heat without enough water, causing them to develop blisters.

She attempted to persuade her kids that they were wicked and under demonic influence, justifying the “punishments” as necessary for repentance. She referred to the mistreatment as “acts of affection”.

The troubling information came to light in Franke’s court statement from last December, where she admitted to mistreating two of her children in Washington County from May 22 until her arrest on August 30.

Franke and her business associate, Jodi Hildebrandt, were taken into custody in August after Franke’s 12-year-old son fled from Hildebrandt’s residence and sought help from a neighbor to contact the authorities. The boy was reportedly in need of sustenance and hydration.

According to court documents, the boy seemed to be suffering from severe malnutrition and had “significant cuts from being bound with rope and from his malnutrition.” The boy claimed that Hildebrandt had applied cayenne pepper and honey directly to his wounds.

In her statement, Franke acknowledged that she physically tortured her son.

In the statement regarding the plea deal, Franke also acknowledged that he had compelled the boy to perform strenuous physical tasks for extended periods of time, including working outdoors during the summer without proper footwear or access to sufficient water. This resulted in the boy suffering from frequent and severe sunburns that caused blisters after being made to stand in direct sunlight for multiple days.

According to the plea agreement, the boy was not provided with enough food and when he did receive it, it was plain and lacked flavor compared to the regular and tastier meals eaten by others in the house.

Franke acknowledged that she kicked her son while wearing boots and also held his head underwater, as well as cutting off his oxygen by covering his mouth and nose with her hands.

According to the plea agreement, ropes were utilized to bind handcuffs around his hands and feet while he was lying on his stomach. This caused his arms and legs to be suspended and resulted in injury to his wrists and ankles.

Franke also confessed that her son was isolated from society and not allowed to have any forms of amusement, such as reading materials, writing materials, and electronic devices.

Franke’s nine-year-old daughter also suffered from abuse, according to her mother’s statement. The girl was reportedly forced to work outdoors, run on unpaved roads without shoes for long periods of time, and go without food and water.

According to the plea agreement, she was frequently informed that she was wicked and under demonic influence. The punishments were deemed necessary for her to comply and seek forgiveness, with the purpose of aiding her.

The girl agreed with her mother’s statement, according to the agreement.

Franke admitted guilt to four out of the six counts of severe child abuse, which is considered a serious felony. In return, the remaining two charges were dropped.

“I express my utmost regret and sadness for my family and children as I plead guilty to my final charge in December.”

One week later, Hildebrandt, who was a former therapist in Utah and business partner of Franke, admitted to committing four instances of aggravated child abuse against Franke’s children through physical and emotional means.

Per her plea deal, Hildebrandt acknowledged to deliberately causing and permitting another adult to cause severe physical harm to two minors residing in her residence.

She confessed to physically coercing Franke’s nine-year-old daughter into repeatedly jumping into a cactus, running barefoot on dirt roads for long periods, and keeping her away from other people.

The previous therapist also confessed to aiding Franke in torturing her youngest son.

Both Franke and Hildebrandt admitted to telling the two children that they were wicked, possessed, and needed to be disciplined in order to repent. The boy was informed that all the actions taken against him were out of love, as stated in the plea agreements.

The women, who have been incarcerated since their arrest, will discover their future at their sentencing on February 20th. They each could receive a sentence ranging from four to 60 years in prison.

After numerous accusations and worries from viewers of the YouTube channel 8Passengers, where Franke and her spouse showcased their family’s daily experiences and offered parenting tips, the accusations of child abuse became known.

Three months after Franke was arrested, her husband requested a divorce from the Fourth District Court in Utah. He has consistently denied any involvement in the reported child abuse, as he had been separated from his family for a period of time prior to the arrests.

However, numerous viewers expressed worry over the couple’s severe approach to parenting, which was showcased in their videos by withholding food and Christmas gifts as a form of discipline for their children.

Franke punished her son, Chad, for playing a joke on his brother by making him sleep on a beanbag for a long time. She told Business Insider that Chad “chose” this arrangement instead of sharing a room with his younger brother.

Viewers were motivated to start an online petition in 2020 after witnessing this incident and other instances of severe consequences on the channel, leading to the involvement of child services.

Although the channel was eventually removed, Franke persisted in offering parental guidance through videos with Hildebrandt, using the name of Hildebrandt’s therapy company Connexions.

Source: independent.co.uk