Utah Mother of Six and Business Partner Appear in Court on Charges of Aggravated Child Abuse

A Utah mother of six who once gave parenting advice on her popular YouTube channel, “8 Passengers,” made her initial court appearance on Friday on charges of child abuse. Ruby Franke, 41, and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, were charged with six felony counts of aggravated child abuse after their arrests on August 30th at Hildebrandt’s house in the southern Utah city of Ivins.

The virtual hearing experienced technical difficulties due to the large number of people trying to log in and watch, delaying the proceedings by about 45 minutes. Franke and Hildebrandt appeared before Judge Eric Gentry via video from jail wearing orange striped uniforms.

The arrests came after Franke’s malnourished son ran to a neighbor’s house asking for food and water, authorities said. The charges against Franke and Hildebrandt include abuse and starvation of two young children.

The case has attracted a great deal of attention due to Franke’s previous popularity on YouTube. Tania Mashburn, spokesperson for the Utah State Courts, commented on the large number of people trying to log in to watch the virtual hearing.

The case is ongoing, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for October 5th. No further details have been released at this time.