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Kevin's back is against the wall , Ruby's back is against the wall , Kevin has reported to stop talking to Ruby , and Ruby has been separated from Jodi , who is going to give into the pressure of spilling their guts first ? How long will it take to break through that wall of silence? Is Kevin going to protect Ruby ? Or is he going to turn on her to save himself ? He would have more of a case than Ruby and Jodi ? He can claim to be a victim of both of Jodi and Ruby but more against Jodi , and Ruby will claim to be brainwashed by Jodi , it's not looking good for Jodi right now ,Jodi is the center piece of all of this , she will take the brunt of all of them .
My mom is very similar to Ruby and I grew up in a similar environment to these children. It’s unexplainable how scary and lonely it is to be trapped in an abusive situation for years. My mom never faced accountability and people would often not take me seriously because she was an attractive young woman, but seeing everyone rally behind these children is very healing for me. When people speak in support of these children it feels like they’re also supporting me. Thank you for your coverage and insight as always, and thank you to everyone who cares about this case and these kids. ❤ Edit: I am 27 now and independent so am no longer in danger
I am so sorry that didn’t have anybody to advocate for you. Much love and hope you’ve been able to find serenity in the fact that you didn’t do anything wrong and that your mother was a very bad person. Hope you cut her out of your life forever.
Almost the same to me. No ducktape or beeing tide up. But I went thrue a very unloved and mistreaded childhood. A hug to you. It took me to the age of 32 to find out that not I am wrong but my mom was. Hope you have a good live now. Take care and stay with you .
If the oldest daughter said she’s been trying to get help for years the dad must be complicit in the abuse. He only separated from Ruby less then a years ago.
Absolutely! And he’s there to do whatever Ruby tells him to. I say, never let the 2 women see the light of day ever again and keep those children away from the father, as well.
He truly could’ve been unaware of any abuse especially if it was taking place under some one else’s roof. It’s not that far of a stretch. The kids could’ve been afraid to tell him too.
I would NOT give the kids to the father. The father wasn't around when Ruby moved into Jodie's, he was around during the show. He was around when the son lost the bed, when the daughter wasn't allowed food. He was around for all the issues that the show watchers used to petition for a wellness check.
And let's not forget, apparently he didn't do much to go against Ruby in the 13 months since he moved out. She said he couldn't see the kids and he just said okay... Screw him. Put those kids with a family that will actually love and take care of them. Most importantly, a family that can help them heal.
As a Utah resident who has had to report a family member to DCFS, what I'm about to say is entirely our experience with them. But it will give some clarity as to why it took so long. It took over a year of us calling weekly to report with evidence, that was all we could do per law enforcement to try and protect the kids. Anything else we did would result in charges against us. (Believe me, a couple of us were ready to take charges on the chin) Even the oldest school reported to them and they did nothing but a scheduled home visit. So they were able to put on a front. Believe me its maddening. The DCFS and foster system here is extremely overwhelmed and under staffed. DCFS finally took us seriously after the youngest ended up in the er with a second degree burn. Even then, with them seeing evidence of neglect and abuse, amongst other things, dcfs had mandatory visitations with the kids and parents. I won't say DCFS doesn't care about the kids, I'm sure they do, but, here in utah, they don't take reporting seriously unless the child ends up in the hospital. Our system needs a overhaul. Again, this is my opinion from my family's experience.
Washington State is the same. I am sure covid has made it MUCH worse. To know that DCYF showed up and all they have the power to do is leave a card for contact, because no one answered the door? Is this truly it? My heart goes out to kids and alternative family members going through and /or witnessing this.
What society will not admit is that child abuse is the biggest crime issue WORLDWIDE. Certain cultures, especially strict religious sects, may have beliefs of harsh punishment and rigid behavior expectations, but it is very prevalent across all belief systems and cultures, and income and education strata. And CPS is just as likely to remove children from one abusive situation into another in Foster Care.
Sadly I think they get involved in too many cases of poverty and instead of releasing poverty and being able to help kids that actually need help, they don’t help poverty bc our messed up systems and ignore kids that need real intervention
There is something very fishy about the father. Just because he wasn’t in the home doesn’t mean he didn’t have a responsibility to keep in touch with them and keep an eye on their well being.
Indeed , brave , intelligent little boy. I wonder , if it were the mother detaining and neglecting; would he have attempted escape. Child abused , continue to love their parents 💔
@@blin2602now she is trying to say he SA’d like 20 kids and has been watching porn since age 3. She is still punishing him This is for escaping and turning her in
The lack of intervention at the pleading of the oldest daughter, especially when the kids were left alone for several days is absolutely inexcusable. What is the purpose of these agency if they refuse to help until a child dies or has to escape in order to be believed?!
@@tanithschneider3051 Yes. The church is big on handling things "in house" - if someone reports abuse of almost any kind to their bishop (which is what they're taught to do) they will usually be encouraged not to report it to authorities, but handle it by following the advice of an unqualified member of the church. Jody is licensed as a therapist, but has broken most of the ethics rules all therapists learn. She obviously thinks she knows better than everyone. So her having a license allowed church leaders to think all was well to refer members who seek help, or have confessed to refer them to her. They welcomed her extreme practices. As you say, the church runs the state and even law enforcement may have been inclined to ignore reports if they involved highly "connected" members like Jody and Ruby.
What trauma? You do realize the boy made it all up right? Ruby made her defense and it was very convincing. The children were just being entitled and bratty, as children are.
That broke me. Those poor children. I just want to give them a hug and tell them none of this is their fault. Jodi’s niece gave such an incredible interview with Mormon Stories. They weren’t going to speak again, but when Ruby accused Russell of being a porn addict since 3 and said he s’ad numerous people and he confessed- they said it was so similar to what Jodi did to them, they had to speak up. They said that they are sure Ruby/Jodi are lying and that Jodi most likely, kept hurting him and told him to confess over and over and if he did, she would stop. He confessed to get the torture to end. Because that is what Jessi the niece did- and they said they were a teenager so they can’t imagine how literal children could have endured that. I’m so worried they will never be OK. It is going to be a long road.
I’m glad that he still escaped even if his mindset was it’s his fault. I’m a very timid kid & idk, looking back at my younger self, if this happened to me, and thought it’s my fault, I probably would have endured it until the end.
Yes, I don't know if there will be actual legal fall out surrounding this but Jessi details how church officials were referring people to Jodi's particular form of "therapy". I wonder how many people are currently scurrying under rocks right now
@@christinedebessehochboth victims mentioned here decided to talk when they blamed Ruby’s kid of horrible things in court. Because they say that is Jody’s MO, she says victims become perpetrator, so she treats them like that and convinces them they are guilty. Adam even ended in jail without having any victims. She has been destroying people for a long time, specially kids and young adults that are recovering from childhood abuse. This woman should never have access to any child ever again.
I have to imagine that if a child flees an abusive situation and feels safe with one of their parents, they would ask for their parent to be called and not the police. I know the kid said they didn't know where the dad was, but I can't help but think that, if it was a possibility, a child would at least ask for the safe parent before or at the same time as the police. Just knowing how kids act.
yep. apparently, the dad was there for the majority of the abuse, they only separated over the last few years so he's 100% complicit. hope he's arrested soon too.
Well he was in plenty of the clips I saw with her with holding food and emotionally abusing his kids as he stood idle. So. Kids realize he is part of the issue. He did not keep them safe and abandoned them.
You're so right, there was an incident in my childhood when my sister and I were staying with our dad, and I didn't want the police, I wanted my mum! Given I was much younger, but it is an excellent point that if he felt like his dad was safe and dependable, and would remove them from the situation, he would have asked for him. This leads me to think that the kids knew the father would have just returned him to the house and glossed everything over which is sad af 😑
I'm so happy to see that it was Swoop that you linked to. She has been on this for a while, as well as other family vloggers. The whole industry is disgusting.
For a really good deep dive check out Jordan and McKay (that’s the channel name) who have a number of episodes about 8 Passengers, and Mormon Stories. Mormon Stories had a livestream with Jodi’s niece, Jessi (they/them), who experienced similar abuse 15 years ago. Last night they had an almost 6 hour livestream with one of Jodi’s “clients” (victims) where he went into great detail about how she tried to destroy his life. It really looks like Jodi was a highly abusive cult leader under the guise of “therapy”, and Ruby became her right-hand minion. How the two children were abused is exactly the same things that were done to Jessi
It's entirely upsetting, the worst (most triggering) thing for me was that Jodi and Ruby were able to continue their abuse by insisting that the 2 children deserved and got the judge to agree to place RF in a home with no other children! It's sick that even in jail, their abuse is still hurting the kids.
Yeah but once they investigate, hopefully they'll see their lies. The mother and father has a YT video when he was 10 praising him and saying he doesn't have the ability to lie. So I'm sure this will all slap them in the face. As long as the investigators, dcfs, and the courts do their jobs right. Which this is big in the media so they know they are now being watched.
@@krystin_stand4truth I bet it will, cause she claimed some ridiculous numbers of instances. And speaking to the siblings/cousins will clear it up real quick.
The kids were being abused under his tutelage. Abuse did not start when he walked out the door. This case is heartbreaking. The children need to be somewhere they are safe.
Ruby was the driver, but Kevin let it happen. I think he was manipulated and apparently experiencing mental health issues, but that’s no excuse to letting them be abused. Apparently he was completely cut off from the family after he moved out with is Jodi’s MO regarding male clients she doesn’t like, but he should have fought to have custody and regular visitation
Jodi’s MO is also accusing the male of SA falsely. Apparently she’s linked to something around twenty SA accusations because she told wives to do it in order to ensure custody.
Agree 100% I do think it got WORSE after he left thanks to stronger influences from hildebrant amplifying and validating her abusive behaviors, but it was always there.
Kevin Franke shouldn't have the kids either, since he willfully and happily engaged in the psychological and emotional abuse of the children. Ruby also never laid a violent hand on the kids that we saw on the channel, but Kevin also willfully engaged in the starvation of his children. Kevin willfully humiliated his children. Kevin wsa abusive, too.
I just watched a interview from JH niece. I sure as hell hope that this lady is held as accountable to this horrific actions. They are both a couple of wackos. Plus the father needs to be held accountable also as does the church. ( this coming from me being raised in the church). I see a bunch of everyone throwing everyone else under the bus at the station. What a mess. All of these so called groups that make money on any minor needs outside accountability processes… period!
Apparently Jessi has talked to the police. If there’s a trial I wouldn’t be surprised if they testify as to Jodi’s past actions. They’re so incredibly brave
The way the man sounded in the phone with 911.....the boy had to look terrible. He was clearly upset. I feel bad for him as well but he did a great job. Many props to him❤
@audreygibson4780 - The neighbor did an excellent job. He is clearly an older gentleman and you could tell he was stressed but still determined to help RF - And his empathy and compassion were clear to hear
The neighbor said “I knew she was bad but I didn’t know she was that bad” in the call… makes me wonder what he saw. I’d guess she was That Neighbor, you know the one who is a pain in everyone’s ass. We had one like that for years, she liked us for some reason but she had major issues with everyone else. However, our neighbor wasn’t horrible to children, she only got nasty to adults.
@@platedlizard she already had a reputation. Her career as a "therapist" was basically backed by the Mormon church. Bishops would refer church members to her. If u haven't seen the interview with Jodis niece it's worth the 3 hrs. So telling. They're both monsters but Jodi is the mastermind. This isn't the first time she's duck taped a child and made them think it was their fault. I could go on for paragraphs but they'll get what's coming to them. I'm not necessarily religious but if there is a hell they're on the waiting list
I’m one who actually likes to hear 911 calls. Even in extreme circumstances, there are many things to be learned. Having said that , I can’t listen to this 911 call without shedding tears myself. It’s horrible and I hope justice really does prevail.
I think part of the reason this blew up so much is because tons of creators have been calling this out for so long. Such as Swoop, TehMimi, and J Aubrey. UA-camrs and UA-cam watchers have been calling for their arrest for YEARS. I appreciate you're covering this and I appreciate it if you don't decide to cover it further. As a survivor of a lot of types of abuse from family/friends/significant others, I hope these kids are able to get the help they desperately need.
Sadly I think she’ll fight it, she’s already blaming the children. I’ve watched the Mormon stories podcasts with Jessi and Adam, I suspect more people will come out and share their stories as well. It’s truly awful that it appears Jodi has been putting people through these things for years. Thank you Emily for your sensitive approach, it’s very needed in this case.
The Adam interview was absolutely insane. Jodi has some seeeeeerious issues towards men and absolutely weaponizes other women against own husbands & families to play out some sick game . Adam said Jodi is literally as psychotic as Ted Bundy in her thinking and ability to mess w/ your mind and I absolutely believe him. I think Jodi has a world of punishment coming her way, every day for rest of life. I am looking forward to watching her suffer humiliation of it all coming out publicly forever.
@@jrogue3710 unfortunately I think we’ll be hearing a lot more from people like Adam and Jessi but there’s probably a whole heap more who will never say a word. I believe them both and I know we’re just supposed to be looking at evidence and legal perspective here, but, it’s truly shocking what Jodi has been getting away with and for how long. It’s heartbreaking to think about, I had to listen to both interviews in chunks as I struggled to process what they’ve lived through. This rabbit hole is going to be massive…….
This is gonna be a tough one. thanks for sharing it. As a retired 911 dispatcher for fire/ems, it is nice to see someone in the media that shows such sensitivity to those kids and your community.
The Duggers, Turpins, and Lori Vallow come to the front of my mind as this case unfolds. It’s a great day to get the heck away from your mom if she’s in a cult or trying to start a cult.
Emily--I appreciate the way you treat these sensitive and traumatic cases with such class and professionalism. You are the best legal analyst on UA-cam. Thank you.❤
One piece of this that’s such a mystery & baffling is that of the father, Kevin Franke. He was a partner in & around for the videos from the 8 Passengers channel, although Ruby was the main one w/ initiating the psychological abuse. Kevin was supportive of all of it as he never said “no, that’s not OK.” In some cases, Kevin participated in it. I heard an interview today with his attorney that basically made him out to be such a victim, but the attorney said that Kevin hadn’t seen his children in “months & months,” & has been out of the house for 13 months. He said that was because Ruby told him it was better this way for now for him to have no contact w/ the kids. WTF? That alone is abusive, abandoning his kids & then he didn’t even call them … no contact. But now he’s trying to act like he was the victim of Ruby & Jodi & they made him do what he’s done. I feel he’s complicit in many ways.
I have questions about the husband too. I wonder, was he also abused? otherwise that statement saying he did not know is ridiculous, the abuse has been going on for longer than the year he is been out of the house.
@@angiel186 - I think the reason that the dad, Kevin, is saying he did not know, is because he did not believe that his & Ruby’s parenting practices were ever abusive when he was still in the home. There are videos of him talking in a car, where he’s defending their parenting choices & disagreeing w/ viewers of their now defunct channel, who were saying they were in fact abusive. when so many viewers could clearly see that they were.
Have you read what Jodi does to husbands, look up Adam Paul Steed, if the husband goes against Jodi she accuses them of SA and abuse. I wonder when Jodi got involved with their parenting because Jodi was Chad's therapist, so I wonder if while Ruby has always been overly harsh in her punishments, if the sleeping on the bean bag and the very extreme abusive parenting started once Jodi came into their lives and encouraged this as a professional. Not saying this is ok but they could have done this because they thought it was what was best due to Jodi and her manipulation, like she did to her niece and Adam Paul Steed.
@EloWorld11 Arguably if you have children, your first responsibility is to them. There was plenty of evidence of her abuse, the husband chose to participate, thus he's guilty. Him thinking that maybe he'd be accused of things if he came forward and thus deciding to continue abusing his children and then dumping them with their abusive mother, is his choice and something he should obviously have to face consequences for. "But I thought" isn't an excuse to starve and abuse your kids.
The only things disturbing about this case are: 1. The fact that a grown@ass man (the 911 caller) was crying. How pathetic. I hope he’s not a dad. And 2. The children ganged up on the mom like that. She made her defense in court and it was very convincing. She is clearly innocent and being picked on just for being a white mother.
The part that’s interesting to me that nobody talks about: Ruby isn’t the only person in her family with millions of followers on a family vlog. Her sisters Ellie and Bonnie also BOTH have very longstanding popular family vlogs, Ellie + Jared, and Bonnie Hoellein. And their parents eventually made a channel, Grandma and Grandpa Griffiths, which has 200k subscribers too. Bonnie posted a response video and took it down, idk if Ellie did. What did they know? Have they tried to help their nieces and nephews and grandchildren? Is this stuff that was all hidden from them? Did the oldest niece tell the family about this years ago?! I want to know.
I didn't know her parents had a channel from other people talking but I knew her sisters did. Bonnie *claims* they tried to help, that they "did everything they could", but the very first thing she said in that video was about *her* content and she has never used her platform to speak out against her sister before. Bonnie and Ellie definitely knew what their sister was doing; I'm curious on if their brother knew, since I've heard Ruby also has a brother. Ruby's parents for sure knew, as her mother was in one of the videos where Ruby made her child sleep on the bathroom floor meaning they've been around to witness Ruby's abuse. One of Ruby's cousins(?) spoke out under a hidden identity, and says that the family tree is rotten from the roots. Ruby apparently cut her sisters and even her parents off, but I don't think it has to do with the supposed reporting. I would more assume it has to do with them not "living in Truth" like Ruby. Because I genuinely don't think Ellie and Bonnie were actually doing everything they could. They could have used their platforms like so many people like MARKIE and SWOOP were to speak out against Ruby, and they did not. They had every opportunity to, when seeing that reporting it wasn't doing anything (even if they weren't, others were).
Ruby apparently cut them off in 2020, the only Frankes who have been to family gatherings with them etc in the past year or so has been Sherri & maybe Chad, the two oldest children who are now adults. Sherri has said she’s no contact with her mom, and apparently her dad was so brainwashed he wasn’t talking to her (or anyone else) after he moved out. Chad went offline the moment he turned 18 so we don’t know what he’s done but I don’t blame him for trying to take back his privacy. Apparently Sherri and her aunts have been in contact with CPS and the police, and caused an investigation last October, which at the time found nothing. At a guess they were advised to not say anything online. Jordan and McKay, who have been watching this family for years, think had the sisters come out & said anything before the kids were safe it could have endangered them further, perhaps fatally. In my opinion the family was doing what the could behind the scenes
Rubys oldest daughter has stuck by her aunts since the beginning. And there’s another sister with a channel as well. If rubys daughter trusts her aunts then that means something
@aromaladyellie Yes, the cousin said they had generational abuse going on. It's very sad and as a major issue in far to many families, it's very well documented. With that, it's often darker stuff, more inline with s/a. I hope that isn't the case for any of these 6 children. And that boot camp? They need to be looked into as well as often predators hide in those groups.
@@nataliem6181get thru it all. It’s important to hear it from someone who knows how she works from the inside. The duct tape is a go-to favorite, for example.
Thank you for covering this! Cases like this are so difficult and bring up so many issues and concerns. As a licensed therapist, I'm horrified by the allegations by Jessie, Adam, and the Franke kids. It sounds like she was the "therapist" and her approach and style seems to cross so many ethical and legal boundaries! It can be so hard to find a good therapist and then to hear of situations like this, it just breaks my heart! I'm saddened that it had to get this bad for people to notice.
Thank you for always having chapters so we can skip commercials and easily watch the videos in chunks throughout the day. You’re a real one for taking care of us like that!! 💜💜
I always watch Emily’s sponsors bits, not in a position to buy anything, just showing my appreciation for their sponsorship, in my weird way 🥺. My thinking is Without sponsors, I doubt we would get anywhere near the quantity of high quality legal commentary we do from Emily.
@@minimalcat1987 I have YT premium and that also helps creators and I feel no guilt about skipping sponsorships. If I didn’t pay for YT I wouldn’t skip the sponsorships because I think you’re right that it’s good to support the channel in some way. 🥰
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes why lol i love emily but sitting through a sponsorship you're not even going to buy isn't really all that helpful if you watch the rest of the video it doesn't do anything for watch time performance
My mother was offered a plea bargain after she was arrested for physically assaulting me when I was 12 years old. She got a 1 year “peace bond”, and had to write me an apology letter, in which she said “I’m sorry I was just trying to make you a better person and closed it with “ to err is human to forgive us divine” I’m still shocked that the court thought that appropriate to give me.
I imagine they probably had a similar (but less severe) version during their own childhoods. I don’t think you can think this is *at all* defensible unless you grew up being at least psychologically abused as well.
Unfortunately, as nice as this sounds, they would file for violations against their civil liberties and human rights would win. Hopefully the other mothers, in prison, will address it.
I already panic when my four year old doesn’t eat much of her dinner, because food was very scarce at times when I was a child. Making sure that my children are able to have a full belly is something constantly top of mind for me because I know what it feels like to go hungry. I could not imagine food, just a basic meal, as a luxury - especially to a child. This whole situation just makes me so sad. Above all else, I hope those children find some peace and get the support they need no matter what happens with their parents.
There's no way that Ruby Franke "loves" her kids in any normal meaning of the word. She may consider them her possessions and fight to keep them, but that isn't love.
As a child, I suffered similar punishments. No matter how nany people tell you it's not your fault after the fact, the brainwashing of the perp is hard to break. Your parent repeatedly gaslighting and punishing you is brutal.
That really broke my heart because it takes so long to emotionally heal and learn that it's not your fault. You might logically be there and know, but you're still a scared kid who feels like they deserved to be punished for just existing.
Cognitive dissonance. He’s been conditioned to believe that his suffering was his fault, yet was also able to see that there was something wrong with his condition enough to escape and seek help.
Thank you for covering the procedural side of this whilst indicating enough of the gut wrenching facts of the case for us to understand and not be overwhelmed
Emily I'm sorry the mother failed these kids, the police failed these kids and the father failed these kids. This abuse was going on for years!! There is no way he didn't know it was happening and if he wasn't around then he should've been. I am just sick and heartbroken for these children. If these women did these things they deserve life in prison. Absolutely horrible and horrific 😢
Of course he knew! When he was in the house he participated in the abuse and it was monitized for their channel. Food suppression is cruelty and abuse.
This story is very strange and I can't believe what Ruby said in court about her child. It's very strange in my opinion since the kids were always under her control for where they needed to be at all time. It's hurtful and disgusting.
@Rachy71 - There are a couple of interviews with Jessi Hildebrand, Jodi's niece, that cover Jodi's pattern of abuse. Watching them will give you some input on Ruby's claims and where they might come from...Jodi is seriously messed up.
It is outrageous for her to say that in court! I don’t believe ANY of her story. No three year old “stumbles onto” porn online unless someone else has accessed it prior, and if there was “touching” she was obligated, as a parent, to obtain help, objective help from someone who was not her crony in crime. However, I don’t believe the accusation.
Abusers often accuse there victims for the crimes they have committed against there victims. It is classic. As a csa survivor, there is not dubt in my mind the abuse was more than just the torture they did. And the starvation. Narssistic ppl don't see there children as people. They see them as tools for there own disposal. And when a child trys to challenge this, abuse can get skyrocket to levels not comprehensible. Ruby reminds me of my abusers.
The reporter who reported it was from the Daily Mail & he was involved with an incident a few years ago where the paper was caught making things up, so take everything reported with a grain of salt. However, according to Jodi’s niece and one of Jodi’s former clients part of her MO is to put her victims in the role of the abuser. The client, Adam, had been a victim of a pedophile in the Boy Scouts scandal, Jodi used that to frame him in the role of a child abuser even though he wasn’t. She did something similar to Jessi, accused them of being an abuser and a sex addict because they kissed boys and girls (kissed only btw! Completely normal for a teenager!) if Ruby made that accusation it’s based on very twisted thinking and not reality
I can't picture Ruby taking a plea deal. She seems like the type who would fight tooth and nail to prove she's right when literally everyone tells her she's wrong.
Thank you for covering this story. There are tons of excellent channels that have been covering the breaking news from day 1, but few have the legal expertise that I trust.
Thankyou for speaking about the kids need need for privacy and compassion. It's hard enough without the whole world watching. I really appreciate your factual coverage. Thanks Emily ❤
As a member, REPLAY CREW I saw the post for the filming and I was pretty surprised you were covering this. I am grateful Natalie is covering it because I don’t want you to cover it if you don’t want to do that. I know it’s hard for you. Thanks for spotlighting it though! I know you know how important it is that people know how to spot these kinds of monsters on family channels. Sending love 💜
I too have been watching Jordan and McKay. They’ve been talking about the problems with this family for ages and have been discussing it on many other channels.
Ty Emily. You cover cases in such a sensitive way and objective way that I didn’t realise how much I needed until you went on holiday. Welcome back. This chat is very respectful. ❤ love you law nerds xx
I found you during the depp case and thought that’d be it, but you got me hooked. Turns out there are a lot of cases I’m curious about and love the way you explain it all out.
Jordan and Mckay's channel has been following everything thats gone down so far, i highly recommend them if anyone wants more details. They're very respectful in their coverage.
Jordan and McKay are also great content creators that have been bringing attention to the problematic behaviors of the adults in the situation for many years.
Jordan and McKay have been following this story for a long time. They would be a good one to look at as well. They are reporting on it very respectfully as well as not buying into every single rumor.
Beautifully done. Enough information without overwhelming emotionally. Please keep us updated in your comfort and when it is relevant todo a stream like this. Love you sm
Thank you for covering this case in such a sensitive, respectful, and caring way. I’m heartbroken for these children, and I just pray they are being given the care, safety, and services they need.
I hope that Ruby is made to give her children all of the money she was paid by UA-cam when she was filming them. I know she kept a large proportion of it in the name of the church through tithing as she called it. I don’t think that she should be able to keep anything she got through any of this time of abuse including the money for the house which the kids basically paid for. I think the house should be sold and the money divided between all of the kids for therapy, as all of them will need therapy probably for life. Both Jodi and Ruby need to pay with a very long sentence. I think more charges will be heading their way after listening to family members. I also think UA-cam should have watched channels like this more carefully. Also if you are too young to sign a contract should you be on UA-cam, or do we need to bring in something so that children get paid separately from the parents and in a way that no one can touch the children’s money until they reach 18 and then the children can use it.
The interviews with other Hildebrandt victims on Mormon stories and hidden true crime are in depth, well done, eye opening, and heart breaking. This goes far beyond this one family and is absolutely terrifying the breadth of people and time that it's been allowed to continue. All the love and healing to the expanding list of victims.
Adam's story feels esspecially poignant because of what happened to him in Boy Scouts, and how hard she tried to ruin his life. I hope Jessi is able to get their story out far and wide because they deserve some justice for what happened to them.
The thing about the 6-year-old's lunch keeps sticking with me. When I was that kid's age, I had the inverse problem. I didn't have to make my own lunches, but I could not for the life of me remember to bring my lunchbag home at the end of the day. It drove my parents (my mom. Dad was checked out) nuts. What did they do? They still gave me my lunch like normal, just in a paper bag. If I forgot to grab my lunch, they usually weren't available to come bring it to me, but I could het a basic meal from the cafeteria and it was fine, I'd just get a minor "don't do that again" later. Punishing children for human mistakes doesn't teach them not to make mistakes - mistakes will always happen. That's life. - it just teaches them that mistakes are shameful and should be hidden, and with her specific brand of punishment, they will probably have major complexes surrounding food, belongings, and personal spaces, namely that they will never feel secure, and that anything they have can be taken away for the most minor of slip-ups.
I know this case is hard for you, but I’m so grateful that you are covering it because you reach a large audience and everyone needs to know about this case! Also you are my favorite case coverer and I know you will give the case the sensitivity that these kids so desperately need and deserve!!!xoxoxo
You did such a great job covering this in a sensitive way, and I'm so glad you did, because even the part about the kid saying "what happened to me was my fault" was so crushing
It is so important your coverage of the law in this case. I know it's not usually what you enjoy covering, so I wanted to say thanks for your clarity and integrity and respect to the law, the victims, and your listeners.❤
Jodi's niece has given a very insightful interview and details the abuse she suffered living with Jodi for about a year when she was a teenager. She points out how Jodi manipulated people to believe her niece should not be around other children, that she was dangerous, not to be trusted, etc. That is what she is now doing accusing the children of being vile perpetrators of crime. The niece details the mental, emotional and physical abuse she suffered. She was totally innocent of what her aunt was being accused of, but after awhile would start to agree to it just so the abuse would stop.
The video by Swoop is a must watch as well as the Mormon Stories Podcast interviews someone else in these comments has already mentioned. I just want to recommend them as well. They are long, for sure, but astounding and infuriating and sad and in the end hopeful. Worth the time. You will be so invested in seeing justice given after hearing these stories.
I have been watching updates on Ruby and Jodi for years and it disgusted me. Ruby has always been a VERY strict mom, but since she went to Jodi for therapy, you could see her decline to inflict severe punishments on her children. I.e. withholding food and beds, and later binding with duct tape, ( according to reports of how the police found the boy) which are all things Jodi practiced and preached for ages. Jodi chose a controlling mom like Ruby with lots of clout and money to satisfy her own greed and sadistic needs. Jodi often influenced the woman that came to her for marriage counselling to leave their husbands. Obviously Ruby chose to follow this horrible advice, leaving her husband and getting close to Jodi and allowing this to happen to her own sweet children.
It's obvious Jodi doesn't want competition in terms of torturing kids but Ruby's husband didn't even object. From the start I've gotten covert lesbian vibes from these two. It would also go a ways towards explaining the rage and resentment they have towards their own children. Lesbianism is totally harmless and wholesome unless forced underground. Then you get the kind of mother who takes out her rage against her rapist-husband on "his" kids.
I appreciate how respectful and gentle you are being about this. I think it's important for there to be people covering this situation that won't go into the details for the people that want to know what is happening but can't hear the details for whatever reason.
What gets me is that these women were dispensing advice for a fee to other Mormon mothers. Think of that. How much abuse they were able to perpetuate thru others. I hope they throw the book at these women and they demonotize content with kids on UA-cam.
That part! I wont even post my kids online if they don’t approve the image or video. If They say no, that’s the end of the discussion. And most of the time, it’s the back of their head anyways 😅 I don’t ask them why or try to negotiate with them, I simply move on if they say no. Family vloggers where all participants involved have a truly free choice to be apart of it are great…often though that is not the case 😢
@@southerncharmcreative Well done you!! Good job giving your kids control over what you post. I wish more parents did that. In my opinion kids should never be on social media because they do not understand the ramifications. Especially itty bitties like most of the family vloggers have. It’s one thing if it’s private for family & friends but when you have 2.5 million subs, nope. I heard the Dad Challenge Podcast say that the demographics that watch those channels are largely adult males. 🤮🤢🤮
I have been following this case for a while, since Markie spoke up on it and the documentary done by Swoop long before this arrest took place. Ruby's behaviour has long been a disturbing case. I am not surprised this has lead the arrests, although I am sad as it sounds like her adult children, family members and even some neighbours have been bringing this to the authorities for at least a year. Now we wait to see how this plays out in court.
You did a good job protecting us while giving us a real look at this case. I wanted to know more about it but have a tender heart. I appreciate you and your professionalism.
I needed some help understanding the legal in this case so I ended up finding Natalie's coverage because I figured you wouldn't be going into this one, but I still appreciate hearing your input! Nat and Jordan & McKay's stream was so helpful, but thank you for covering it Emily! I know it's a really hard one.
I so hope you continue covering this. Soooo many legal questions. Can the father be in trouble for neglect? As a concerned neighbor, what can we do to make sure an issue like this is addressed by legal resources?
I hope Russell knows we are all behind him, we don't believe ruby and Jodi's lies about him. Heartbreaking ruby and Jodi have isolated him from the rest of his family due to their lies. I hope that justice system don't let them down
Emily you are excellent. Very gracefully handled, such a horrific case. These kids will be scarred for life and my heart really goes out to them. Thanks for your walkthrough.
This whole case reminds me so much of the Turpin family. This is literally a repeat of the Turpin family and its horrifying. The trauma these kids went through 100% could have been prevented if CPS and the cops did their jobs properly THE FIRST TIME they were called.
@@Mama_Bear524omg was just about to comment the exact same thing, abuse similar to Turpin, plus extreme Mormon beliefs informing those punishments like the daybells!
Emily. Thanks for this podcast. I heard the gist of this case, and as a mother of two, I couldn’t face it. You did the best job ever in protecting the victims while unpacking the spectrum of abuse. I won’t be listening to the links, as it’s too difficult. I get the idea. I’m sure every kind person out there wants to scoop these kids up and surround them with love and safety. Bless the boy that escaped. Thanks Emily for handling this story so well.
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Emily off topic but where is your subscriber counter that you usually have in the background?
i just want to know the legal aspect of this, Thank you Emily for this
Holy sponsors Batman!
Thx.
Kevin's back is against the wall , Ruby's back is against the wall , Kevin has reported to stop talking to Ruby , and Ruby has been separated from Jodi , who is going to give into the pressure of spilling their guts first ? How long will it take to break through that wall of silence? Is Kevin going to protect Ruby ? Or is he going to turn on her to save himself ? He would have more of a case than Ruby and Jodi ? He can claim to be a victim of both of Jodi and Ruby but more against Jodi , and Ruby will claim to be brainwashed by Jodi , it's not looking good for Jodi right now ,Jodi is the center piece of all of this , she will take the brunt of all of them .
My mom is very similar to Ruby and I grew up in a similar environment to these children. It’s unexplainable how scary and lonely it is to be trapped in an abusive situation for years. My mom never faced accountability and people would often not take me seriously because she was an attractive young woman, but seeing everyone rally behind these children is very healing for me. When people speak in support of these children it feels like they’re also supporting me. Thank you for your coverage and insight as always, and thank you to everyone who cares about this case and these kids. ❤
Edit: I am 27 now and independent so am no longer in danger
I’m so sorry. I had similar issues while in foster care.
I am so sorry that didn’t have anybody to advocate for you. Much love and hope you’ve been able to find serenity in the fact that you didn’t do anything wrong and that your mother was a very bad person. Hope you cut her out of your life forever.
I grew up the same way, and completely agree!!
Almost the same to me. No ducktape or beeing tide up. But I went thrue a very unloved and mistreaded childhood. A hug to you. It took me to the age of 32 to find out that not I am wrong but my mom was. Hope you have a good live now. Take care and stay with you .
🫂💔🙏🥰
If the oldest daughter said she’s been trying to get help for years the dad must be complicit in the abuse. He only separated from Ruby less then a years ago.
Exactly!!!
Absolutely! And he’s there to do whatever Ruby tells him to. I say, never let the 2 women see the light of day ever again and keep those children away from the father, as well.
He truly could’ve been unaware of any abuse especially if it was taking place under some one else’s roof. It’s not that far of a stretch. The kids could’ve been afraid to tell him too.
His attorney was interviewed and said she kicked him out 13 months ago.
He was also there for the entirety of the 8 passengers channel, and abuse was obvious from those videos
I would NOT give the kids to the father. The father wasn't around when Ruby moved into Jodie's, he was around during the show. He was around when the son lost the bed, when the daughter wasn't allowed food. He was around for all the issues that the show watchers used to petition for a wellness check.
And let's not forget, apparently he didn't do much to go against Ruby in the 13 months since he moved out. She said he couldn't see the kids and he just said okay... Screw him. Put those kids with a family that will actually love and take care of them. Most importantly, a family that can help them heal.
Yes he was in the toileting episode I watched last he was supportive of his wife.
Yes, there is a reason Shari didn’t reach out to her father 😢
Absolutely agree. He may not be as heinous as Ruby & Jodi but he signed off on way too many things over the years.
As a Utah resident who has had to report a family member to DCFS, what I'm about to say is entirely our experience with them. But it will give some clarity as to why it took so long. It took over a year of us calling weekly to report with evidence, that was all we could do per law enforcement to try and protect the kids. Anything else we did would result in charges against us. (Believe me, a couple of us were ready to take charges on the chin) Even the oldest school reported to them and they did nothing but a scheduled home visit. So they were able to put on a front. Believe me its maddening. The DCFS and foster system here is extremely overwhelmed and under staffed. DCFS finally took us seriously after the youngest ended up in the er with a second degree burn. Even then, with them seeing evidence of neglect and abuse, amongst other things, dcfs had mandatory visitations with the kids and parents. I won't say DCFS doesn't care about the kids, I'm sure they do, but, here in utah, they don't take reporting seriously unless the child ends up in the hospital. Our system needs a overhaul. Again, this is my opinion from my family's experience.
Washington State is the same. I am sure covid has made it MUCH worse. To know that DCYF showed up and all they have the power to do is leave a card for contact, because no one answered the door? Is this truly it? My heart goes out to kids and alternative family members going through and /or witnessing this.
What society will not admit is that child abuse is the biggest crime issue WORLDWIDE. Certain cultures, especially strict religious sects, may have beliefs of harsh punishment and rigid behavior expectations, but it is very prevalent across all belief systems and cultures, and income and education strata. And CPS is just as likely to remove children from one abusive situation into another in Foster Care.
It needs an overhaul in every state. They’re all understaffed and over worked and it’s only going to get worse…
Sadly I think they get involved in too many cases of poverty and instead of releasing poverty and being able to help kids that actually need help, they don’t help poverty bc our messed up systems and ignore kids that need real intervention
@@lilolmecjyes, it’s even prevalent amongst aetheists
There is something very fishy about the father. Just because he wasn’t in the home doesn’t mean he didn’t have a responsibility to keep in touch with them and keep an eye on their well being.
I feel like people don’t emphasize enough how brave that little boy is for doing what he did, so thank you for that! 💕
Indeed , brave , intelligent little boy.
I wonder , if it were the mother detaining and neglecting; would he have attempted escape. Child abused , continue to love their parents 💔
Very brave little boy. I remember watching Ruby's vlogs. Russell was one of her sweetest, quiet children. Bravo to him for his bravery.
@@blin2602now she is trying to say he SA’d like 20 kids and has been watching porn since age 3. She is still punishing him This is for escaping and turning her in
Brave and very frightened as if something happened that scared him they may kill him .
The lack of intervention at the pleading of the oldest daughter, especially when the kids were left alone for several days is absolutely inexcusable. What is the purpose of these agency if they refuse to help until a child dies or has to escape in order to be believed?!
It’s Utah. The Church runs the entire state. And both Ruby and Jodi have connections in the Church. So…
@@tanithschneider3051 Yes. The church is big on handling things "in house" - if someone reports abuse of almost any kind to their bishop (which is what they're taught to do) they will usually be encouraged not to report it to authorities, but handle it by following the advice of an unqualified member of the church. Jody is licensed as a therapist, but has broken most of the ethics rules all therapists learn. She obviously thinks she knows better than everyone. So her having a license allowed church leaders to think all was well to refer members who seek help, or have confessed to refer them to her. They welcomed her extreme practices.
As you say, the church runs the state and even law enforcement may have been inclined to ignore reports if they involved highly "connected" members like Jody and Ruby.
It's amazing that UA-cam allows the broadcasting of much of the abuse, but doesn't allow the discussion of it without code words.
The hypocrisy is strong with UA-cam.
Great point!!
It really is
Well you know, it’s the words that make the content not family-friendly 🙄
Yup!! Like they will pull down a video that says Vit D is good the immune and CV.... yes code word...
Never feel obligated to cover traumatic cases just because people ask for it. We respect you, Emily! Thank you for all that you provide!
Well said
💯 ❤🎯
Agree
What trauma? You do realize the boy made it all up right? Ruby made her defense and it was very convincing. The children were just being entitled and bratty, as children are.
@@lilithdvs13so the responding cops lied too?
My heart broke when the child said that it was his fault. That is so sickening.
We have been brainwashed since birth to believe we are the cause of any and all problems in the family.
That broke me. Those poor children. I just want to give them a hug and tell them none of this is their fault. Jodi’s niece gave such an incredible interview with Mormon Stories. They weren’t going to speak again, but when Ruby accused Russell of being a porn addict since 3 and said he s’ad numerous people and he confessed- they said it was so similar to what Jodi did to them, they had to speak up. They said that they are sure Ruby/Jodi are lying and that Jodi most likely, kept hurting him and told him to confess over and over and if he did, she would stop. He confessed to get the torture to end. Because that is what Jessi the niece did- and they said they were a teenager so they can’t imagine how literal children could have endured that.
I’m so worried they will never be OK. It is going to be a long road.
I’m glad that he still escaped even if his mindset was it’s his fault. I’m a very timid kid & idk, looking back at my younger self, if this happened to me, and thought it’s my fault, I probably would have endured it until the end.
@@kms32690same. He's got some grit. Good man
That happens a lot unfortunately.
This story is huge! Jodi Hillabrant has destroyed multiple families- I recommend Morman Stories Podcast with Jodi’s niece as well as Adam Steed!
Yes!!!!!!
Whaaat?! Not sure why I’m surprised..
They go into detail. They are such a strong person. You should listen to their story.
Yes, I don't know if there will be actual legal fall out surrounding this but Jessi details how church officials were referring people to Jodi's particular form of "therapy". I wonder how many people are currently scurrying under rocks right now
@@christinedebessehochboth victims mentioned here decided to talk when they blamed Ruby’s kid of horrible things in court. Because they say that is Jody’s MO, she says victims become perpetrator, so she treats them like that and convinces them they are guilty. Adam even ended in jail without having any victims. She has been destroying people for a long time, specially kids and young adults that are recovering from childhood abuse. This woman should never have access to any child ever again.
I have to imagine that if a child flees an abusive situation and feels safe with one of their parents, they would ask for their parent to be called and not the police. I know the kid said they didn't know where the dad was, but I can't help but think that, if it was a possibility, a child would at least ask for the safe parent before or at the same time as the police. Just knowing how kids act.
yep. apparently, the dad was there for the majority of the abuse, they only separated over the last few years so he's 100% complicit. hope he's arrested soon too.
Well he was in plenty of the clips I saw with her with holding food and emotionally abusing his kids as he stood idle. So. Kids realize he is part of the issue. He did not keep them safe and abandoned them.
You're so right, there was an incident in my childhood when my sister and I were staying with our dad, and I didn't want the police, I wanted my mum! Given I was much younger, but it is an excellent point that if he felt like his dad was safe and dependable, and would remove them from the situation, he would have asked for him. This leads me to think that the kids knew the father would have just returned him to the house and glossed everything over which is sad af 😑
That makes sense. I’m agree
I'm so happy to see that it was Swoop that you linked to. She has been on this for a while, as well as other family vloggers. The whole industry is disgusting.
The first time I ever heard of this family was the Swoop doc. She was way ahead of the curve on this.
Another good channel that's been covering 8 passengers is called MARKIE...he's been covering them for years
Markee is another good channel that's been following the 8 Passengers bullcrap
For a really good deep dive check out Jordan and McKay (that’s the channel name) who have a number of episodes about 8 Passengers, and Mormon Stories. Mormon Stories had a livestream with Jodi’s niece, Jessi (they/them), who experienced similar abuse 15 years ago. Last night they had an almost 6 hour livestream with one of Jodi’s “clients” (victims) where he went into great detail about how she tried to destroy his life. It really looks like Jodi was a highly abusive cult leader under the guise of “therapy”, and Ruby became her right-hand minion. How the two children were abused is exactly the same things that were done to Jessi
I love swoop and I love Emily ! I would love a colab on a case . ❤❤❤
It's entirely upsetting, the worst (most triggering) thing for me was that Jodi and Ruby were able to continue their abuse by insisting that the 2 children deserved and got the judge to agree to place RF in a home with no other children! It's sick that even in jail, their abuse is still hurting the kids.
Pretty much an admission of guilt that Jodi and Ruby were committing Child Abuse and torture!
Yeah but once they investigate, hopefully they'll see their lies. The mother and father has a YT video when he was 10 praising him and saying he doesn't have the ability to lie. So I'm sure this will all slap them in the face. As long as the investigators, dcfs, and the courts do their jobs right. Which this is big in the media so they know they are now being watched.
@@krystin_stand4truth I bet it will, cause she claimed some ridiculous numbers of instances. And speaking to the siblings/cousins will clear it up real quick.
They may have the kids separated so that there is no undue influence from family members.
The kids were being abused under his tutelage. Abuse did not start when he walked out the door. This case is heartbreaking. The children need to be somewhere they are safe.
Exactly! And abuse isn’t only physical.
Ruby was the driver, but Kevin let it happen. I think he was manipulated and apparently experiencing mental health issues, but that’s no excuse to letting them be abused. Apparently he was completely cut off from the family after he moved out with is Jodi’s MO regarding male clients she doesn’t like, but he should have fought to have custody and regular visitation
Jodi’s MO is also accusing the male of SA falsely. Apparently she’s linked to something around twenty SA accusations because she told wives to do it in order to ensure custody.
Say it louder. That man is just as guilty AND I think…the sisters didn’t care either and are just pretending to care now.
Agree 100% I do think it got WORSE after he left thanks to stronger influences from hildebrant amplifying and validating her abusive behaviors, but it was always there.
Kevin Franke shouldn't have the kids either, since he willfully and happily engaged in the psychological and emotional abuse of the children. Ruby also never laid a violent hand on the kids that we saw on the channel, but Kevin also willfully engaged in the starvation of his children. Kevin willfully humiliated his children. Kevin wsa abusive, too.
The older Sister would be the best choice, if she gets help financially...
IMO
I just watched a interview from JH niece. I sure as hell hope that this lady is held as accountable to this horrific actions. They are both a couple of wackos. Plus the father needs to be held accountable also as does the church. ( this coming from me being raised in the church). I see a bunch of everyone throwing everyone else under the bus at the station. What a mess. All of these so called groups that make money on any minor needs outside accountability processes… period!
Apparently Jessi has talked to the police. If there’s a trial I wouldn’t be surprised if they testify as to Jodi’s past actions. They’re so incredibly brave
The way the man sounded in the phone with 911.....the boy had to look terrible. He was clearly upset. I feel bad for him as well but he did a great job. Many props to him❤
@audreygibson4780 - The neighbor did an excellent job. He is clearly an older gentleman and you could tell he was stressed but still determined to help RF - And his empathy and compassion were clear to hear
The neighbor said “I knew she was bad but I didn’t know she was that bad” in the call… makes me wonder what he saw. I’d guess she was That Neighbor, you know the one who is a pain in everyone’s ass. We had one like that for years, she liked us for some reason but she had major issues with everyone else. However, our neighbor wasn’t horrible to children, she only got nasty to adults.
@@platedlizard she already had a reputation. Her career as a "therapist" was basically backed by the Mormon church. Bishops would refer church members to her. If u haven't seen the interview with Jodis niece it's worth the 3 hrs. So telling. They're both monsters but Jodi is the mastermind. This isn't the first time she's duck taped a child and made them think it was their fault. I could go on for paragraphs but they'll get what's coming to them. I'm not necessarily religious but if there is a hell they're on the waiting list
I’m one who actually likes to hear 911 calls. Even in extreme circumstances, there are many things to be learned. Having said that , I can’t listen to this 911 call without shedding tears myself. It’s horrible and I hope justice really does prevail.
He was somewhat speechless. He didn't not believe what he saw
I think part of the reason this blew up so much is because tons of creators have been calling this out for so long. Such as Swoop, TehMimi, and J Aubrey. UA-camrs and UA-cam watchers have been calling for their arrest for YEARS.
I appreciate you're covering this and I appreciate it if you don't decide to cover it further. As a survivor of a lot of types of abuse from family/friends/significant others, I hope these kids are able to get the help they desperately need.
Sadly I think she’ll fight it, she’s already blaming the children. I’ve watched the Mormon stories podcasts with Jessi and Adam, I suspect more people will come out and share their stories as well. It’s truly awful that it appears Jodi has been putting people through these things for years. Thank you Emily for your sensitive approach, it’s very needed in this case.
This is so much bigger than just ruby
@@travelnc2g absolutely!
The Adam interview was absolutely insane. Jodi has some seeeeeerious issues towards men and absolutely weaponizes other women against own husbands & families to play out some sick game . Adam said Jodi is literally as psychotic as Ted Bundy in her thinking and ability to mess w/ your mind and I absolutely believe him. I think Jodi has a world of punishment coming her way, every day for rest of life. I am looking forward to watching her suffer humiliation of it all coming out publicly forever.
@@jrogue3710 unfortunately I think we’ll be hearing a lot more from people like Adam and Jessi but there’s probably a whole heap more who will never say a word. I believe them both and I know we’re just supposed to be looking at evidence and legal perspective here, but, it’s truly shocking what Jodi has been getting away with and for how long. It’s heartbreaking to think about, I had to listen to both interviews in chunks as I struggled to process what they’ve lived through. This rabbit hole is going to be massive…….
This is gonna be a tough one. thanks for sharing it. As a retired 911 dispatcher for fire/ems, it is nice to see someone in the media that shows such sensitivity to those kids and your community.
The Duggers, Turpins, and Lori Vallow come to the front of my mind as this case unfolds. It’s a great day to get the heck away from your mom if she’s in a cult or trying to start a cult.
Thank God the neighbor helped and called. So many people today don't want to get involved. 💜
Emily--I appreciate the way you treat these sensitive and traumatic cases with such class and professionalism. You are the best legal analyst on UA-cam. Thank you.❤
One piece of this that’s such a mystery & baffling is that of the father, Kevin Franke. He was a partner in & around for the videos from the 8 Passengers channel, although Ruby was the main one w/ initiating the psychological abuse. Kevin was supportive of all of it as he never said “no, that’s not OK.” In some cases, Kevin participated in it. I heard an interview today with his attorney that basically made him out to be such a victim, but the attorney said that Kevin hadn’t seen his children in “months & months,” & has been out of the house for 13 months. He said that was because Ruby told him it was better this way for now for him to have no contact w/ the kids. WTF? That alone is abusive, abandoning his kids & then he didn’t even call them … no contact. But now he’s trying to act like he was the victim of Ruby & Jodi & they made him do what he’s done. I feel he’s complicit in many ways.
I have questions about the husband too. I wonder, was he also abused? otherwise that statement saying he did not know is ridiculous, the abuse has been going on for longer than the year he is been out of the house.
@@angiel186 - I think the reason that the dad, Kevin, is saying he did not know, is because he did not believe that his & Ruby’s parenting practices were ever abusive when he was still in the home. There are videos of him talking in a car, where he’s defending their parenting choices & disagreeing w/ viewers of their now defunct channel, who were saying they were in fact abusive.
when so many viewers could clearly see that they were.
Have you read what Jodi does to husbands, look up Adam Paul Steed, if the husband goes against Jodi she accuses them of SA and abuse. I wonder when Jodi got involved with their parenting because Jodi was Chad's therapist, so I wonder if while Ruby has always been overly harsh in her punishments, if the sleeping on the bean bag and the very extreme abusive parenting started once Jodi came into their lives and encouraged this as a professional. Not saying this is ok but they could have done this because they thought it was what was best due to Jodi and her manipulation, like she did to her niece and Adam Paul Steed.
@@EloWorld11 - Yes, I watched both the niece, Jessi, & Adam Paul Steed’s interviews on Mormon Stories, & they were both just horrific.
@EloWorld11 Arguably if you have children, your first responsibility is to them. There was plenty of evidence of her abuse, the husband chose to participate, thus he's guilty. Him thinking that maybe he'd be accused of things if he came forward and thus deciding to continue abusing his children and then dumping them with their abusive mother, is his choice and something he should obviously have to face consequences for. "But I thought" isn't an excuse to starve and abuse your kids.
this is such a disturbing case, Emily, thank you for covering in the respectful way you do. 💜💜💜
The only things disturbing about this case are:
1. The fact that a grown@ass man (the 911 caller) was crying. How pathetic. I hope he’s not a dad. And
2. The children ganged up on the mom like that. She made her defense in court and it was very convincing. She is clearly innocent and being picked on just for being a white mother.
Gotta love trolls
The part that’s interesting to me that nobody talks about: Ruby isn’t the only person in her family with millions of followers on a family vlog. Her sisters Ellie and Bonnie also BOTH have very longstanding popular family vlogs, Ellie + Jared, and Bonnie Hoellein. And their parents eventually made a channel, Grandma and Grandpa Griffiths, which has 200k subscribers too. Bonnie posted a response video and took it down, idk if Ellie did. What did they know? Have they tried to help their nieces and nephews and grandchildren? Is this stuff that was all hidden from them? Did the oldest niece tell the family about this years ago?! I want to know.
I didn't know her parents had a channel from other people talking but I knew her sisters did. Bonnie *claims* they tried to help, that they "did everything they could", but the very first thing she said in that video was about *her* content and she has never used her platform to speak out against her sister before. Bonnie and Ellie definitely knew what their sister was doing; I'm curious on if their brother knew, since I've heard Ruby also has a brother. Ruby's parents for sure knew, as her mother was in one of the videos where Ruby made her child sleep on the bathroom floor meaning they've been around to witness Ruby's abuse. One of Ruby's cousins(?) spoke out under a hidden identity, and says that the family tree is rotten from the roots.
Ruby apparently cut her sisters and even her parents off, but I don't think it has to do with the supposed reporting. I would more assume it has to do with them not "living in Truth" like Ruby. Because I genuinely don't think Ellie and Bonnie were actually doing everything they could. They could have used their platforms like so many people like MARKIE and SWOOP were to speak out against Ruby, and they did not. They had every opportunity to, when seeing that reporting it wasn't doing anything (even if they weren't, others were).
Ruby apparently cut them off in 2020, the only Frankes who have been to family gatherings with them etc in the past year or so has been Sherri & maybe Chad, the two oldest children who are now adults. Sherri has said she’s no contact with her mom, and apparently her dad was so brainwashed he wasn’t talking to her (or anyone else) after he moved out. Chad went offline the moment he turned 18 so we don’t know what he’s done but I don’t blame him for trying to take back his privacy. Apparently Sherri and her aunts have been in contact with CPS and the police, and caused an investigation last October, which at the time found nothing. At a guess they were advised to not say anything online. Jordan and McKay, who have been watching this family for years, think had the sisters come out & said anything before the kids were safe it could have endangered them further, perhaps fatally. In my opinion the family was doing what the could behind the scenes
Rubys oldest daughter has stuck by her aunts since the beginning. And there’s another sister with a channel as well. If rubys daughter trusts her aunts then that means something
@aromaladyellie
Yes, the cousin said they had generational abuse going on. It's very sad and as a major issue in far to many families, it's very well documented. With that, it's often darker stuff, more inline with s/a. I hope that isn't the case for any of these 6 children. And that boot camp? They need to be looked into as well as often predators hide in those groups.
I can't stand any of these "family vloggers". They all exploit their children and it's gross. I wish it was never a thing.
Omg I just listened to the interview with Adam steed on Mormon stories on what the therapist did to him and it was heartbreaking to listen to.
Interview with Hildebrandts niece is horrific to listen to 😔
Yes I listened to some of hers as well but didn't get through it all yet.
@@nataliem6181get thru it all. It’s important to hear it from someone who knows how she works from the inside. The duct tape is a go-to favorite, for example.
It was worse than I thought.
Thank you for covering this! Cases like this are so difficult and bring up so many issues and concerns. As a licensed therapist, I'm horrified by the allegations by Jessie, Adam, and the Franke kids. It sounds like she was the "therapist" and her approach and style seems to cross so many ethical and legal boundaries! It can be so hard to find a good therapist and then to hear of situations like this, it just breaks my heart! I'm saddened that it had to get this bad for people to notice.
I really appreciated your insight on the case with Natalie.
Thank you for always having chapters so we can skip commercials and easily watch the videos in chunks throughout the day. You’re a real one for taking care of us like that!! 💜💜
So true! I'm always replay crew for that reason lol. It's a game changer.
But also, watching them helps keep her channel that we love so much up and going.
I always watch Emily’s sponsors bits, not in a position to buy anything, just showing my appreciation for their sponsorship, in my weird way 🥺. My thinking is Without sponsors, I doubt we would get anywhere near the quantity of high quality legal commentary we do from Emily.
@@minimalcat1987 I have YT premium and that also helps creators and I feel no guilt about skipping sponsorships. If I didn’t pay for YT I wouldn’t skip the sponsorships because I think you’re right that it’s good to support the channel in some way. 🥰
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes why lol i love emily but sitting through a sponsorship you're not even going to buy isn't really all that helpful if you watch the rest of the video it doesn't do anything for watch time performance
My mother was offered a plea bargain after she was arrested for physically assaulting me when I was 12 years old. She got a 1 year “peace bond”, and had to write me an apology letter, in which she said “I’m sorry I was just trying to make you a better person and closed it with “ to err is human to forgive us divine” I’m still shocked that the court thought that appropriate to give me.
😳
Obviously she has a problem. I am shocked too! She has takes NO responsibility only blame IMHO
These women should have to suffer the same treatment those kids had to endure.
Their karma will come in prison….from the other inmates.
No food
I imagine they probably had a similar (but less severe) version during their own childhoods. I don’t think you can think this is *at all* defensible unless you grew up being at least psychologically abused as well.
Unfortunately, as nice as this sounds, they would file for violations against their civil liberties and human rights would win. Hopefully the other mothers, in prison, will address it.
Ruby has some sharp Attorneys. Just Saying 👀
That boy saved not only his life, but his sister. ❤
I already panic when my four year old doesn’t eat much of her dinner, because food was very scarce at times when I was a child. Making sure that my children are able to have a full belly is something constantly top of mind for me because I know what it feels like to go hungry. I could not imagine food, just a basic meal, as a luxury - especially to a child. This whole situation just makes me so sad. Above all else, I hope those children find some peace and get the support they need no matter what happens with their parents.
There's no way that Ruby Franke "loves" her kids in any normal meaning of the word. She may consider them her possessions and fight to keep them, but that isn't love.
@@francisnopantses1108exactly. You can see a weird disgust on her face when she interacts with her own children. And of course a superior complex.
Teaching kids how to cook should be considered more important these days. I guess it would just be my way of making sure they are fed.
As a child, I suffered similar punishments. No matter how nany people tell you it's not your fault after the fact, the brainwashing of the perp is hard to break. Your parent repeatedly gaslighting and punishing you is brutal.
The child said it was his fault.
Beyond heartbreaking.
That really broke my heart because it takes so long to emotionally heal and learn that it's not your fault. You might logically be there and know, but you're still a scared kid who feels like they deserved to be punished for just existing.
Cognitive dissonance. He’s been conditioned to believe that his suffering was his fault, yet was also able to see that there was something wrong with his condition enough to escape and seek help.
That is Jodi's m.o.
Thank you for covering the procedural side of this whilst indicating enough of the gut wrenching facts of the case for us to understand and not be overwhelmed
Emily I'm sorry the mother failed these kids, the police failed these kids and the father failed these kids. This abuse was going on for years!! There is no way he didn't know it was happening and if he wasn't around then he should've been. I am just sick and heartbroken for these children. If these women did these things they deserve life in prison. Absolutely horrible and horrific 😢
Of course he knew! When he was in the house he participated in the abuse and it was monitized for their channel. Food suppression is cruelty and abuse.
Thank you, Emily. As others have said, the stories of Jessi (Jodi’s niece) and Adam Steed on @Mormon Stories are heartbreaking.
This story is very strange and I can't believe what Ruby said in court about her child. It's very strange in my opinion since the kids were always under her control for where they needed to be at all time. It's hurtful and disgusting.
@Rachy71 - There are a couple of interviews with Jessi Hildebrand, Jodi's niece, that cover Jodi's pattern of abuse. Watching them will give you some input on Ruby's claims and where they might come from...Jodi is seriously messed up.
It is outrageous for her to say that in court! I don’t believe ANY of her story. No three year old “stumbles onto” porn online unless someone else has accessed it prior, and if there was “touching” she was obligated, as a parent, to obtain help, objective help from someone who was not her crony in crime. However, I don’t believe the accusation.
There’s something seriously wrong with that woman, her husband and that Hildebrandt woman.
Abusers often accuse there victims for the crimes they have committed against there victims. It is classic. As a csa survivor, there is not dubt in my mind the abuse was more than just the torture they did. And the starvation. Narssistic ppl don't see there children as people. They see them as tools for there own disposal. And when a child trys to challenge this, abuse can get skyrocket to levels not comprehensible. Ruby reminds me of my abusers.
The reporter who reported it was from the Daily Mail & he was involved with an incident a few years ago where the paper was caught making things up, so take everything reported with a grain of salt. However, according to Jodi’s niece and one of Jodi’s former clients part of her MO is to put her victims in the role of the abuser. The client, Adam, had been a victim of a pedophile in the Boy Scouts scandal, Jodi used that to frame him in the role of a child abuser even though he wasn’t. She did something similar to Jessi, accused them of being an abuser and a sex addict because they kissed boys and girls (kissed only btw! Completely normal for a teenager!) if Ruby made that accusation it’s based on very twisted thinking and not reality
I can't picture Ruby taking a plea deal. She seems like the type who would fight tooth and nail to prove she's right when literally everyone tells her she's wrong.
Thank you for covering this story. There are tons of excellent channels that have been covering the breaking news from day 1, but few have the legal expertise that I trust.
I can't get over how much the child escaping to neighbors reminds me of the poor children that were killed by their adoptive mothers a few years ago.
Thank you for covering this. So important! Also, it’s good to see your face again. You have been sorely missed.
Thankyou for speaking about the kids need need for privacy and compassion. It's hard enough without the whole world watching. I really appreciate your factual coverage. Thanks Emily ❤
As a member, REPLAY CREW
I saw the post for the filming and I was pretty surprised you were covering this. I am grateful Natalie is covering it because I don’t want you to cover it if you don’t want to do that. I know it’s hard for you.
Thanks for spotlighting it though! I know you know how important it is that people know how to spot these kinds of monsters on family channels.
Sending love 💜
Much love for you covering this. Your calm grounded demeanor is hugely appreciated.
I’ve been following the coverage from Jordan and McKay but this is also the side I wanted. Thank you Emily.
I too have been watching Jordan and McKay. They’ve been talking about the problems with this family for ages and have been discussing it on many other channels.
Ty Emily. You cover cases in such a sensitive way and objective way that I didn’t realise how much I needed until you went on holiday. Welcome back. This chat is very respectful. ❤ love you law nerds xx
I found you during the depp case and thought that’d be it, but you got me hooked. Turns out there are a lot of cases I’m curious about and love the way you explain it all out.
Same here
Jordan and Mckay's channel has been following everything thats gone down so far, i highly recommend them if anyone wants more details. They're very respectful in their coverage.
Jordan and McKay are also great content creators that have been bringing attention to the problematic behaviors of the adults in the situation for many years.
Love Jordan and McKay!
Yes! Mormon stories also
Yup! Just finished watching their last video
Yes !
Yes, love them! Mormon Stories too.
Jordan and McKay have been following this story for a long time. They would be a good one to look at as well. They are reporting on it very respectfully as well as not buying into every single rumor.
I hate this happened to these poor kids. This man broke my heart in the 911 call.
“This is just infuriating, disgusting, and sad.”
This was very helpful! Thank you, Emily.
Listened to the 911 call, that’s tough stuff. Kudos to the neighbors! Poor kid, he was so brave but so harmed he thought he was guilty.
And Ruby will continue to hurt the children. She should be locked up and in jail for the max sentence.
Beautifully done. Enough information without overwhelming emotionally. Please keep us updated in your comfort and when it is relevant todo a stream like this. Love you sm
Thanks for covering this.
Thank you for covering this case in such a sensitive, respectful, and caring way. I’m heartbroken for these children, and I just pray they are being given the care, safety, and services they need.
I hope that Ruby is made to give her children all of the money she was paid by UA-cam when she was filming them. I know she kept a large proportion of it in the name of the church through tithing as she called it. I don’t think that she should be able to keep anything she got through any of this time of abuse including the money for the house which the kids basically paid for. I think the house should be sold and the money divided between all of the kids for therapy, as all of them will need therapy probably for life. Both Jodi and Ruby need to pay with a very long sentence. I think more charges will be heading their way after listening to family members. I also think UA-cam should have watched channels like this more carefully. Also if you are too young to sign a contract should you be on UA-cam, or do we need to bring in something so that children get paid separately from the parents and in a way that no one can touch the children’s money until they reach 18 and then the children can use it.
The interviews with other Hildebrandt victims on Mormon stories and hidden true crime are in depth, well done, eye opening, and heart breaking. This goes far beyond this one family and is absolutely terrifying the breadth of people and time that it's been allowed to continue. All the love and healing to the expanding list of victims.
Adam's story feels esspecially poignant because of what happened to him in Boy Scouts, and how hard she tried to ruin his life. I hope Jessi is able to get their story out far and wide because they deserve some justice for what happened to them.
How many people are victim to this?
Wasn’t sure you’d cover this! Been dying to (virtually) pick your brain on this one.
The thing about the 6-year-old's lunch keeps sticking with me. When I was that kid's age, I had the inverse problem. I didn't have to make my own lunches, but I could not for the life of me remember to bring my lunchbag home at the end of the day. It drove my parents (my mom. Dad was checked out) nuts. What did they do? They still gave me my lunch like normal, just in a paper bag. If I forgot to grab my lunch, they usually weren't available to come bring it to me, but I could het a basic meal from the cafeteria and it was fine, I'd just get a minor "don't do that again" later.
Punishing children for human mistakes doesn't teach them not to make mistakes - mistakes will always happen. That's life. - it just teaches them that mistakes are shameful and should be hidden, and with her specific brand of punishment, they will probably have major complexes surrounding food, belongings, and personal spaces, namely that they will never feel secure, and that anything they have can be taken away for the most minor of slip-ups.
I really wanted YOU to cover this. I like the way you explain things
So happy to see you’re covering this. Much appreciated
I know this case is hard for you, but I’m so grateful that you are covering it because you reach a large audience and everyone needs to know about this case! Also you are my favorite case coverer and I know you will give the case the sensitivity that these kids so desperately need and deserve!!!xoxoxo
You did such a great job covering this in a sensitive way, and I'm so glad you did, because even the part about the kid saying "what happened to me was my fault" was so crushing
Peter told us yesterday that you were working on this episode. No one could do this better. Thanks Emily, it is gut-wrenching.
It is so important your coverage of the law in this case. I know it's not usually what you enjoy covering, so I wanted to say thanks for your clarity and integrity and respect to the law, the victims, and your listeners.❤
I can't imagine the joy and relief the kids left at home alone must have felt not having to deal with their mother.
Jodi's niece has given a very insightful interview and details the abuse she suffered living with Jodi for about a year when she was a teenager. She points out how Jodi manipulated people to believe her niece should not be around other children, that she was dangerous, not to be trusted, etc. That is what she is now doing accusing the children of being vile perpetrators of crime. The niece details the mental, emotional and physical abuse she suffered. She was totally innocent of what her aunt was being accused of, but after awhile would start to agree to it just so the abuse would stop.
They are non binary :)
Where can you watch the interview? :)
The video by Swoop is a must watch as well as the Mormon Stories Podcast interviews someone else in these comments has already mentioned. I just want to recommend them as well. They are long, for sure, but astounding and infuriating and sad and in the end hopeful. Worth the time. You will be so invested in seeing justice given after hearing these stories.
Thank you for covering this even though you don’t normally cover children on your channel/podcast. You’ve done a great job
Thanks for this, Emily. I wanted to know more about it, but it’s so emotionally heavy. Your breakdown was the perfect balance.
I have been watching updates on Ruby and Jodi for years and it disgusted me. Ruby has always been a VERY strict mom, but since she went to Jodi for therapy, you could see her decline to inflict severe punishments on her children. I.e. withholding food and beds, and later binding with duct tape, ( according to reports of how the police found the boy) which are all things Jodi practiced and preached for ages. Jodi chose a controlling mom like Ruby with lots of clout and money to satisfy her own greed and sadistic needs. Jodi often influenced the woman that came to her for marriage counselling to leave their husbands. Obviously Ruby chose to follow this horrible advice, leaving her husband and getting close to Jodi and allowing this to happen to her own sweet children.
Um duct tape???? You can maybe argue going to bed without dinner as a punishment I guess but duct tape??? There's no justification for that ever
I keep reading comments that say Jodi and Ruby are lesbian lovers. Have you heard this?
It's obvious Jodi doesn't want competition in terms of torturing kids but Ruby's husband didn't even object. From the start I've gotten covert lesbian vibes from these two. It would also go a ways towards explaining the rage and resentment they have towards their own children.
Lesbianism is totally harmless and wholesome unless forced underground. Then you get the kind of mother who takes out her rage against her rapist-husband on "his" kids.
And before you ask, I'm queer myself. Calling it as I see it. The closet is the culprit.
@@bbe3034 They are totally dykes living together. That is why the father was not arrested.
I appreciate how respectful and gentle you are being about this. I think it's important for there to be people covering this situation that won't go into the details for the people that want to know what is happening but can't hear the details for whatever reason.
What gets me is that these women were dispensing advice for a fee to other Mormon mothers. Think of that. How much abuse they were able to perpetuate thru others. I hope they throw the book at these women and they demonotize content with kids on UA-cam.
Thank you Emily, for talking about this sad case. I feel so sad for these children. I pray there is justice
Why didn’t UA-cam intervene? When I found out about this case I found so many questionable things she posted on YT but now shared on other platforms.
Thank you for covering this! I pray that this case is the beginning of the end of the family vloggers.
That part! I wont even post my kids online if they don’t approve the image or video. If They say no, that’s the end of the discussion. And most of the time, it’s the back of their head anyways 😅 I don’t ask them why or try to negotiate with them, I simply move on if they say no. Family vloggers where all participants involved have a truly free choice to be apart of it are great…often though that is not the case 😢
@@southerncharmcreative Well done you!! Good job giving your kids control over what you post. I wish more parents did that. In my opinion kids should never be on social media because they do not understand the ramifications. Especially itty bitties like most of the family vloggers have. It’s one thing if it’s private for family & friends but when you have 2.5 million subs, nope. I heard the Dad Challenge Podcast say that the demographics that watch those channels are largely adult males. 🤮🤢🤮
I have been following this case for a while, since Markie spoke up on it and the documentary done by Swoop long before this arrest took place. Ruby's behaviour has long been a disturbing case. I am not surprised this has lead the arrests, although I am sad as it sounds like her adult children, family members and even some neighbours have been bringing this to the authorities for at least a year. Now we wait to see how this plays out in court.
You did a good job protecting us while giving us a real look at this case. I wanted to know more about it but have a tender heart. I appreciate you and your professionalism.
Thank you for filling our Emily void this early. Hope you are feeling better!
Really appreciate your coverage of this difficult situation. Glad to see you bring your expertise in this instance.
Thank you for helping us understand the legal process for this case. 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
Thank you thank you for covering this
Thank you for covering this, this is such a heartbreaking case, you have an amazing way of covering the hard stuff.❤
Thank you, Emily, for covering a case that distresses you, because you're pure hearted and love justice. 😉👍💜💜💜
I needed some help understanding the legal in this case so I ended up finding Natalie's coverage because I figured you wouldn't be going into this one, but I still appreciate hearing your input! Nat and Jordan & McKay's stream was so helpful, but thank you for covering it Emily! I know it's a really hard one.
I so hope you continue covering this. Soooo many legal questions. Can the father be in trouble for neglect? As a concerned neighbor, what can we do to make sure an issue like this is addressed by legal resources?
I was hoping you would cover this, no one covers things quite like you ❤
Thank you Emily. I want the facts and not the gossip and rumors.
I hope Russell knows we are all behind him, we don't believe ruby and Jodi's lies about him. Heartbreaking ruby and Jodi have isolated him from the rest of his family due to their lies. I hope that justice system don't let them down
General policy has been to use initials whenever possible, on most channels. May be a good sign of respect to change the name to an initial.
Emily you are excellent. Very gracefully handled, such a horrific case. These kids will be scarred for life and my heart really goes out to them. Thanks for your walkthrough.
This is the coverage I've been waiting for on this issue. Man I love some Emily coverage.
This whole case reminds me so much of the Turpin family. This is literally a repeat of the Turpin family and its horrifying. The trauma these kids went through 100% could have been prevented if CPS and the cops did their jobs properly THE FIRST TIME they were called.
Yup. The system that's meant to protect kids actively works against them always.
This is like a cross between Turpin and Lori daybell
@@Mama_Bear524 Some Kate Gosselin ("Kate Plus 8") vibes in there, too.
@@Mama_Bear524omg was just about to comment the exact same thing, abuse similar to Turpin, plus extreme Mormon beliefs informing those punishments like the daybells!
exactly. or even the second time. or the third. or fourth. or, really, ANY OF THE COUNTLESS TIMES THEY WERE WARNED BY LITERALLY EVERYONE FOR YEARS
Super helpful breakdown EDB, and totally respect not wanting to focus on this case
Emily. Thanks for this podcast. I heard the gist of this case, and as a mother of two, I couldn’t face it. You did the best job ever in protecting the victims while unpacking the spectrum of abuse. I won’t be listening to the links, as it’s too difficult. I get the idea. I’m sure every kind person out there wants to scoop these kids up and surround them with love and safety. Bless the boy that escaped. Thanks Emily for handling this story so well.
I've been waiting for you to cover this story!