May 4, 2025 • 42 mins
Shari Franke's book, The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom, details her discovery of the relationship between her mother, Ruby Franke, and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.
In her memoir, Shari says that after her mother’s arrest, she found messages on her laptop confirming the true nature of their relationship.
The abuse the children endured came to light when a 12-year-old boy climbed out of a window and ran to neighbors, begging for food and water.
The boy is the son of Ruby Franke, a popular blogger known for the YouTube channel 8 Passengers. The home belonged to Franke’s business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt.
Neighbors called police. Officers said the boy appeared emaciated and malnourished. They also noted he had “deep lacerations from being tied up with rope” and duct tape around his wrists and ankles. After searching Hildebrandt’s home, police found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter in a similar condition. Both children were taken to a hospital.
Franke’s parenting channel, 8 Passengers, which once had over 2 million followers, offered parenting advice. In one video, she admitted to withholding food as a form of punishment.
Both women were convicted of aggravated child abuse.
Joining Nancy Grace Today:
- Donna Kelly – Former Utah Senior Deputy District Attorney and Attorney for Crime Victims Legal Clinic; Helped form the Utah County Sex Crimes Task Force
- Dr. Dana Anderson – Forensic Psychologist and consultant, court appointed expert witness, Twitter: @psychologydrcom, TikTok: @psychologydr
- Jason Jensen – Private Investigator (Jensen Private Investigations), Cold Case Expert (Salt Lake City, UT), and Co-founder: “Cold Case Coalition;” Investigations; Twitter: @JasonJPI, Facebook/Instagram: “Jensen Investigations”
- Dr. Free N. Hess – Pediatrician/Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Child Safety Expert & Consultant, Founder of www.PediMom.com
- Emily Ashcraft- Reporter for KSL.com in Utah; Twitter: @emilyjaneen3
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, so called mommy vlogger turned
convicted child abuser Ruby Frankie new claims, Oh my goodness,
does it never end with her and her buddy Hildebrant.
(00:21):
The Ruby Frankie prosecutor claims investigators quote questioned the influencer
mom's relationship with Jody Hildebrant. The husband tells cops the
two were sleeping in the same bed. Who cares if.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
The two women were having an affair. I don't care.
I care what happened to the children.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
And there's more. Bombshell claims in the case. I'm Nancy Grace,
this is crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.
Let's just get it out there. The prosecutor on the
case of convicted mommy vlogger Ruby Frankie questioned the relationship
she had with business partner Jody Hildebrant.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Okay, so they slept in the same bed. Does that
change anything about this case?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Apparently it's all revealed by Ruby Frankie's daughter, who caught mom,
if you can call her that, Ruby Frankie with another
child abuse her, Jody Hildebrant. According to the daughter, of
course now estranged. Bombshell new memoir is called In the
(01:34):
House of My Mother, A Daughter's Quest for Freedom. Shery Frankie,
now twenty one, describes discovering the truth about her mom's relationship.
Now getting this part. While Frankie and Hildebrant condemned gay
people to their millions of followers, according to the daughter,
(01:57):
Hildebrant's friendship with the Mormon mom of six, Ruby Frankie,
while it started as business, quickly turned to sex. According
to the daughter Sherry, others were told the upstairs to
the home was quote off limits, including to the husband, Kevin.
He could leave the house whenever he wanted to, says
(02:18):
the daughter, but he couldn't come back without Ruby Frankie's permission.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Ooh.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Even access to the kitchen for meals required her Ruby
Frankie's approval. Before long, Ruby Frankie, according to the daughter,
had moved into Jody Hildebrant's room from the marital bedroom.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
According to Jody Frankie's daughter, Hildebrandt had very detailed visions,
including some where she says she saw Ruby Frankie walking
on the water beside Christ Okay, now I'm getting mad,
and others. Hildebrant apparently envisioned herself writing a massive li
(03:00):
lion named Charles through the gates of Heaven. Okay, you
know I've said a million times, Lord, I will be
happy just to be a little mouse in the corner.
Please let me into heaven. Apparently this one's gonna ride
through the Heaven's gates on a lion named Charles. The
two that would be Jody Hildebrant and Ruby Frankie spent
(03:23):
an incredible amount of time quote hunker down in their
upstairs sanctuary, leaving to take shopping trips to Mexico, returning
with bags full of pills. I don't know what that's about.
All I care about is whether the children were abused
and starved, and according to a court of law, they were.
Hilda Brant and Frankie sitting behind bars. I don't know
(03:46):
why so much focus is on whether the two had
a sex relationship, but I find it highly ironic that
these two condemned gay people and their lifestyle, while, according
to the daughter, that was their lifestyle. Why is everyone
so worried about who other people are sleeping with. It's
(04:07):
all I can do to keep my car in the
middle of the road. Can we talk about the facts
of the case. Please let me remind everyone what happened
to these children.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Let's kick it off with our friends at ABC.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Arrest documents saying the child escaped to a neighbor's home.
The twelve year old child described by that neighbor in
a phone call to police as emaciated and malnourished with
open wounds. Core documents also describing deep lacerations from being
tied up with a rope.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
About the thing that or back at the Homer's bum.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
Police say they also found Frankie's ten year old daughter malnourished.
Frankie is known for her strict parenting advice to millions
of TikTok and YouTube followers.
Speaker 7 (04:48):
Police say a clearly malnourished twelve year old child crawled
out of the window of Hildebrand's Ivans Area home. A
neighbor called nine one one when he showed up at
their house asking for food and water. Officers his wrists
were duct taped. He had wounds for being tied up
across his body. Investigators say they found a ten year
old girl inside the same house who was also wellnourished.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
And also hearing our friends at KSL so we have
at least one child who had apparently just turned twelve,
crawling out the window of the family home starved.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
And believe you me, if you haven't ever seen it,
I hope you never do.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I pray to God you never do, because when you
see a child that has been starved as I have, it's.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Something you never forget.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
I remember when I was going to South Carolina just
recently to cover the Alex Mardock double murder trial. I
passed a yard and there was a dog tied up
in the front yard to a stake, and I could
see the dog ribs, and it reminds me when I
(06:04):
went to Aruba with Natalie Holloway's mother just recently, tried
to turn up new evidence far at the end of
the island where the lighthouse is. There was a pack
of dogs, maybe four or five of them, that kept
coming up to us, chasing after us, and they looked
like skeletons that their ribs were poking out, and it
(06:26):
just I thought about them over and over and over,
and when you see a child with their ribs poking out,
clearly emaciated, I can't even get the dogs out of
my mind, much less the children that I saw that
way as a prosecutor, and not just once, over and
(06:49):
over and over food deprivation, starving your child. I think
about this twelve year old little boy to the where
he crawls out the window and goes to a neighbor
asking for food, and the neighbor sees lacerations, lacerations for
(07:13):
the child has been tied up. And then we learn
that there's another child in the home, a ten year
old little girl with the same lacerations, mal nutrition, malnourished
living in that home.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Who and the hell is the mommy?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Who and the hell is the dad that would do
this to their children? Well, I hope you're sitting down,
take a listen to our friends at GMA.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
A Utah mom influencer arrested facing six felony counts of
aggravated child abuse for the first time, we're hearing emergency
responders as you see one of Ruby Frankie's children after
he allegedly escaped through a window.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
And now that's how don Fa Brown to each uncle
he's not telling up the right and said that he
stores around his with an ankle. He's becoming he's becoming
emotional regarding the child health I'm glad to have.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
With me an all star panel to make sense of
what we know right now. But first someone to go
to investigative reporter with KSL dot com out of Utah.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Emily Ashcraft is with us. Emily, thank you for being
with us. Who is this woman?
Speaker 1 (08:36):
And we're hearing a lot about the mom, but as
far as I'm concerned, the father hen goes straight to
hell too.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
But first tell me who is she?
Speaker 8 (08:46):
She is a family YouTuber blogger and the family, actually
it's it's YouTube channel faded out or stopped recently and
she started up another YouTube channel as a counselor instead
of a mom.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
What is eight Passengers?
Speaker 8 (09:04):
So that's the family's YouTube channel, and you know she
said in an article KSL wrote years ago that she
started the channel because she wanted other moms who were
kind of starting out with infants to see what it's
like to have kids that are getting older. Kind of
(09:25):
the rewards of motherhood is what she wanted to show
off in her in the eight Passengers YouTube channel.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Ruby Ranky YouTuber mom of six Ruby Rankie.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
F R A n k E. How many followers?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I understand over two point two million subscribers to eight
passengers channel.
Speaker 8 (09:48):
That's the numbers that I've seen as well.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Okay, who in the hay is drinking the kool aid?
That's what I want to know, And I want to
go now to Donna Kelly, former Utah Senior Deputy District
attorney and lawyer for crime Victim's Legal Clinic. Donna, thank
you for being with us. And I've seen this over
and over and over. It's not just a story. It's
(10:11):
not something we're reporting on. It's not some fiction or
TV made for TV movie. Not only do you have
the parents abusing the child horribly, but people around them,
they know what's happening, and.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
They do nothing. What is wrong with these people?
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I mean, it's not as if this just happened and
they suddenly see, oh, the child has bruises all over
their arms. That's suspicious. They're starved. They're starved. That takes
a long period.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Of time, Donna Kelly, and nobody noticed.
Speaker 9 (10:48):
Yes it does.
Speaker 10 (10:49):
And unfortunately, many abusers are have the mindset that they
work hard at portraying themselves as you know, the good parent,
the parent you go to when you need advice. That
type of thing is not uncommon, and so that appears
to be what's going on here is that this particular
(11:13):
set of parents decided that they were going to portray
themselves as the ideal parent and put that out there
to the world, and apparently a lot, at least two
point two million people.
Speaker 9 (11:28):
Were fooled.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Guys, I just want you to hear something. Take a
listen to our friends at Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (11:34):
Independent journalist and YouTuber Katie Paulson tracks child abuse cases.
She says Frankie's YouTube channel eight passengers caught her attention
and she was.
Speaker 12 (11:43):
Saying how she would send her daughter to school with
no food, and it was almost like she was bragging
about it.
Speaker 11 (11:49):
She recalls another time when Frankie's son openly talked about
his punishment on the channel.
Speaker 12 (11:53):
He was talking about how he had been sleeping on
the floor on a bean bag chair and how his
mom had taken away his bed and has taken away
his door.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
That child had to sleep on a beanbank chair for
seven plus months for pulling a prank on his brother,
A prank, i might add, that didn't even cause any
physical harm. What he did was he told the brother
they were going to Disneyland the next morning, and the
brother got up and packed, put on his sunglasses and
was ready to go.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
It was a joe. They didn't go to Disneyland. That
was the frank.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Bombshell claims that Ruby Frankie had a steamy affair with
her fellow abuser.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Jody Hildebrant.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
The two can think about that behind bars, and FYI
don't care. I care about the horrific child abuse inflicted
on these children.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Reality check. This is what happened here. We've got a
mom starving the children.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
And bragging about it online. But I also don't understand.
To doctor Dana Anderson, forensic psychologist and consultant, you can
find her at psychologydoctor dot com. She's bad enough, But
who are the two point two million people that tune
in to watch her gibberish?
Speaker 13 (13:22):
Well, I can tell you I certainly wasn't tuning in.
I've never even heard of Ruby frank until this came up.
But what's more, deplorables her sidekick, Jody Hildebrandt, who's a
license professional, who's observing this the whole time.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Two point two million people are following this witch straight
from hell. I want you to hear more of what
we have learned. Take a listen to our friends at
Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (13:49):
Diane Nevins remembers being horrified at what she was watching
on YouTube.
Speaker 14 (13:53):
It was kind of like every video there was something
to be shocked about.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Her son couldn't.
Speaker 13 (13:59):
Walk for until he was like two and a half
years old, and she never got him any help.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And she admitted that she had a one point he'd
fallen off the couch or she dropped him.
Speaker 15 (14:09):
He had gotten no no physical therapy anything.
Speaker 11 (14:13):
Nevin says when she commented her concerns, she was blocked
by Frankie.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
What exactly to Emily Ashcroff, joining US investigative reporter for
KSL dot com, what was found in the home? After
the neighbor has to call nine one one when she
gets a twelve year old little boy who says his
ten year old sisters inside of the same injuries starved,
starved and covered in lacerations showing the child had been
(14:40):
tied up.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
What they cops fired When.
Speaker 8 (14:43):
They go inside, they found a second child and the
two youngest children in the family were both so starved.
The one that didn't crawl out and initially refused medical care,
but they after interacting with her for a while. They
kind of said let's go to the hospital as well,
(15:03):
and both of the women were churched with six counts,
three for each child of aggravated child abuse.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Authorities say that both children were described as quote their words,
not mine, emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duck
tapes around the extremities, begging for food and water, begging
for food and water. And this woman, this woman actually
(15:30):
has a YouTube channel where she dispenses advice. I'm just
imagining the inside of that home and how the children
were bound with duct tape and apparently their skin was
burned with ropes having tied them up. What kind of
mothering and fathering is that? It brings to mind the
so called House of Horrors. Yes, the evil Turpin parents.
(15:54):
Their daughter crawled out of the house out of a
window and ran to call nine one one to save
her brothers and sisters. They were found in the same
exact condition. Take a listen to our cut thirty five.
Our friends at ac GTN.
Speaker 16 (16:10):
Officials say when they entered the Turpin home they found
a modern day horre, foul smell, extremely dirty conditions and
they say it was immediately clear that the siblings were malnourished.
Authorities say they found three of the children shackled to
their beds with chains and padlocks, kept in dark and
unclean conditions inside this Riverside County, California home. Deputies located
(16:32):
twelve children inside the house as young as two years old.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
And upon further investigation, when authorities went to their last
home where the Turpins lived, they found claw marks on
the inside of closet doors where children had tried to
claw their way out. And listened to this nine to
one one calling our cut thirty six. This is a
Turpin child that crawled out the window much like this
(16:59):
influence sir as child did.
Speaker 17 (17:01):
Okay, I'm live in a family of fifteen people, and
my parents are abusin abused us. And my two little
sisters right now are changed up.
Speaker 14 (17:12):
And how many of your siblings are tied up too?
Speaker 17 (17:15):
Of my sisters one of my brothers.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
How are they tied it up with Rome or with.
Speaker 14 (17:20):
What it's king?
Speaker 17 (17:22):
They're changed up to their bed?
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Guys, also, I can't forget the case a Jennifer wolfthaal
take a listener, cut thirty four. Our friend Stephen Howling
over at people dot.
Speaker 18 (17:34):
Com According to an arrest report obtained by WFTV, wolf
Thal was arrested that time after her husband arrived at
the hospital with their eight year old daughter, who suffered
from conditions including pneumonia, a staph infection, and liver failure.
Authority say the girl was also malnourished and had multiple bruises,
a skin infection, and several open wounds. Wolf Thal is
the author of the children's book A Real Friend. It
(17:56):
has been removed from sale by its publisher.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
See the connection I'm making our there. You've got this
woman who is an influencer who has a YouTube channel
about parenting. She has mistreated and abused her children. They're starving,
they're tied up with duct tape. When cots get there,
they still have duct tape on their extremities.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
It looks like they have rope burns.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
And they're begging for food and water, having to climb
out the window to get to a phone to call
nine to one one, begging neighbors to give them something
to eat. And here is this book author who has
her child covered in bruises, with skin infections, open wounds.
You know what makes Ruby different from the Turpin mob.
(18:43):
Ruby Frankie is glamorous. Yeah, she has this YouTube channel
and boys, she making the most of it. Guys, I
want you to take a listen to doctor free Has
joining us pediatrician, pediatric emergency medicine expert, child safety expert.
And you can find doctor free has at pdmom dot com.
(19:08):
Let me spell that doesn't look like it sounds. It's
like pediatrician p as in Peter E.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
D as in.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Daffodil I p ed imom dot com. Doctor free has,
thank you for being with us. What this woman has
is hair and makeup. That's what makes her different from
the Turpin family or the other mom. They're all builds
a up straight from hell. They're the devil's minions.
Speaker 14 (19:39):
Yeah, and that's actually a very big misconception that a
lot of people have about abusers, child abusers specifically. I
think a lot of people have in their mind that
it's only a certain type of person that can do
these types of evil things to children, and it's not.
It can literally be anybody.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yeah, you know, you think you know your neighbor, You
think you know all about what's going on in your neighborhood.
These shouldren are being starved in their own home, assaulted,
tied up with ropes and with duct tape that we
know of based on the evidence we're hearing so far,
and nobody did a thing, and people kept watching this
woman online. Jason Jensen joining me Salt Lake City, Utah,
(20:20):
private investigator, owner of Jensen Private Investigations, co founder of
the Cold Case Coalition, and you can find them at
Jensen Private Investigations dot com. This is in your neck
of the woods.
Speaker 19 (20:31):
What do you have to say, Well, Nancy, there's a
lot that can be said here. It's interesting that you know,
the outer image that was being portrayed, you know, like
you describer Glamour's mom raising six kids, wants to show
off to the world how to do it right. Well,
(20:52):
you know that seems to really have like a Mormon
household style image oftentimes in the church. Here in our community,
they tried to portray to the world a model style
of raising a family, and unfortunately this lady took matters way.
Speaker 9 (21:14):
To the extreme. We're not just showing like discipline online,
but goes to the extreme of child abuse.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Jason Jensen, isn't it true that your children have actually
watched this woman's YouTube channel?
Speaker 2 (21:28):
What did they think?
Speaker 9 (21:29):
Yes, Nancy. Actually, my two kids were the ones that
brought Ruby Frankie to my attention because years ago, when
they were younger, they watched and enjoyed the channel, and
sometimes they got a kick out of it because she
was such a gruff parent. She was always harsh on them,
and it kind of gave them the impression that she
(21:53):
was a disciplinary And what both of my kids said
is pertaining to the two younger kids this subject the
victims of this recent arrest is they said they could
tell mom did not like these two kids very well.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Guys, when someone did try to speak out against Ruby Frankie,
take a listen to what happened in our cut seventeen
Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (22:21):
Paulson also saying when she did a report on what
Frankie and her kids were seeing in the videos, she
was threatened to be sued. She forwarded me an email
from Frankie's lawyer sent in twenty twenty that says, in part,
we represent the family blog Channel Eat passengers who continue
to be harmed by defamatory videos uploaded to YouTube by
your client, and saying it resulted in a baseless visit
(22:41):
by Child Protective Services.
Speaker 12 (22:43):
They always say if you see something, say something, and
in this case, when people said something, they were threatened.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Let me understand something.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Emily Ashcroft, joining us from KSL Child Protective Services went
to the hall even though now Frankie is climbing. That
was basic and what they found nothing. They couldn't tell
anything was going on.
Speaker 8 (23:03):
Yeah, they went to the home to talk about those
claims that you brought up in videos. It was clear
that she sent a child to school without lunch and
had a child sleeping on a bean bag, and so
they went to investigate those and that that didn't lead
to any charges at that point. You know its red flags,
but I guess not res activity.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I watched it.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
She brags about with hoolding food from her children.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
How is that? Okay?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Take a Lisnower cut twenty two. This is Ruby Frankie
in eight passengers.
Speaker 20 (23:36):
Russell got the big bedroom and Chick got the smaller bedroom.
And Russell's bigger bedroom also had a bathroom.
Speaker 8 (23:42):
But what you guys didn't know was didn't get any room.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
He didn't, he didn't get anything.
Speaker 10 (23:48):
He was sleeping on the floor in the family room.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Abby.
Speaker 20 (23:51):
We took the phone away from Abby in November and
you may never get the phone back.
Speaker 9 (23:58):
Totally.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Not kids are literally starving.
Speaker 20 (24:01):
I hesitate to say this because it's going to sound.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Like I'm like a mean barbarian.
Speaker 20 (24:05):
But I told the kids, I said, I'm not even
gonna let you eat breakfast until you get your chores done.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
It's not just that she's withholding food, and it's not
just because they didn't do chores one morning before school.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It's all the time.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You don't get to a point of starvation when you
occasionally skip breakfast. Isn't that true, doctor free hes pediatrician.
Speaker 14 (24:31):
Yeah. Absolutely. You don't get the misfeeded by missing a
meal or two here or there, and you don't appear
to be that to outside people unless you're missing a
substantial amount of meals and nutrition, which can then lead
to a whole host of other things that unfortunately, these
kids may have to deal with.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
So in one fell sweet we hear about with holding
food until chores are done in the morning, not give
one child.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
A place to sleep. But there's a certain amount of bragging.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Of bravado, of joeviality, of cheer, and the way she
describes how she's treating her children and what everybody just
stands by and lifts it up.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Why they're a big at the trough.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Take a listen hour cut twenty four more of Ruby Frankie.
Speaker 15 (25:25):
I just got a text message from Eve's teacher and
she said that Eve did not pack a lunch today
and can I bring a lunch over to the school.
This happens quite often when you're having raising children, because
I know that her teacher is uncomfortable with her being
hungry and not having a lunch, and it would ease
(25:46):
her discomfort if I came to the school with lunch.
But I responded and just said Eve is responsible for
making her lunches in the morning, and she actually told
me she did pack a lunch. So the natural outcome
is she's just going to me to be hungry and
hopefully nobody gives her food, and nobody stepped in and
gives her a lunch.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
And isn't it true that at that time, Emily Ashcroft
ksl this little girl was only six years old.
Speaker 8 (26:12):
That's what I saw is this is a you know,
first grader, just you know, first year. She's bringing food
to food to school probably and the later the mom said,
you know, justifying it. After after child protective services were
called she said, you know it was I didn't learn
until two hours before the end of school, and it
(26:34):
was a forty five minute drive, so getting it to her.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Really, because that's not what she said in her blood gratitude.
She said it was because the child didn't the six
year old girl did not pack her own lunch.
Speaker 14 (26:46):
Changed said that.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
She knew it would ease the teacher's discomfort if her
child had food.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
What about the child? What about the child's discomfort? That's
not all.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Take a listen to our cuts twenty seven and twenty
eight more of Ruby Frankie.
Speaker 20 (27:02):
Kevin and I we have six children. The two youngest
are showing long patterns of selfishness. They have been showing
through their choices, their unwillingness to repent, their unwillingness to
feel sorrow over some pretty egregious choices.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
That they've made.
Speaker 20 (27:20):
So Kevin and I have decided that we are going
to give the gift of truth to them this year
for Christmas. We are having to give them the gift
of boundaries, and we're going to give them the gift
of repentance. So we sat down with them and we
let them know how deeply sorrowful we've been because of
the choices that they have been making and how it's
(27:42):
affected their teachers at school, it's affected their peers, it's
affected our home. The siblings, we just laid it out
very clear and we told them that this year they
are not going to be visited by Santa.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Ruby Frankie's children speak out. Frankie convicted felon for horribly
abusing and starving her children. Her children's slamming quote unethical
family vlogging, saying they will not follow in their mother's footsteps.
According to her oldest son, Chad, this is him speaking
on Good Morning America. I eventually want to have a family,
(28:34):
and I've learned from my mom's mistakes.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
These poor children will.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Be haunted forever by their mother and her henchperson Minion
from Hell, Jodie Hildebrandt's abuse of them, and I would
like to add, following her children speaking out, that Utah
has added protections for child influencers following Ruby Frankie's child
(29:00):
abuse conviction. That's right, a state legislature actually does something worthwhile.
A few tuesdays ago, Utah adds new protections for the
children of online content Creators. Governor Spencer Cox signed the
law giving adults a path to scrub from all platforms
(29:21):
digital content they were featured in as miners, and it
requires parents to set aside money for their children that
are featured in this content. Why because children cannot give
informed consent to be filmed on social media period. Even
Frankie's husband joined in, quote vlogging my family. Putting my
(29:44):
children in public social media was wrong and I regret
it every day. Hey, then why did you let it happen?
That's a good question.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Huh.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Speaking of the husband, what is Ruby Frankie's ex husband
doing now now? Kevin Frankie, he says he quote still
loves her? What How can you love somebody that mistreated
your own children so horribly? And ps, where were you
(30:17):
during all of that? Okay, all their marital issues aside.
This is what we know happened.
Speaker 20 (30:24):
We are going to give the gift of truth to
them this year for Christmas. We are having to give
them the gift of boundaries, and we're going to give
them the gift of repentance. So we sat down with
them and we let them know how deeply sorrowful we've
been because of the choices that they have been making,
and how it's affected their teachers at school, it's affected
(30:47):
their peers, it's affected in our home. The siblings and
we just laid it out very clear, and we told
them that this year they are not going to be
visited by Santa. We let them know that Christmas morning, therefore,
older siblings will be getting Christmas presents to open and
that they will have the gift of love from their
(31:09):
dad to I.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Okay, let's just examine what we just heard. Donna Kelly
joining me, former Utah Senior Deputy District Attorney.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Donna.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
She says, the youngest two, which I believe to be
around the ages of six and seven, were unwilling to
quote repent. So therefore, while all the other children were
visited by Santa, the two little ones were not because
(31:38):
they would not quote repent. I didn't make that up,
she said that. And after you speak, I'm going to
need a shrink on this. Go ahead, Donna Kelly and Donna,
I know You've seen this, as have I, where one
or more children are picked out as the targets. Although
(32:00):
I think all of these children have been abused and mistreated, seemingly,
one usually is picked out as the most despised and
hated and their torture more than anyone else. These two children,
as they watch their sisters and brothers get Christmas Morning surprises,
they get nothing. And then there are two children that
(32:23):
are bound with duct tape and ropes and starved. I
just want to get my hands around this woman's neck.
Then not only does she do this to her children
behind closed doors, she brags about it on a YouTube
channel that is two point two million followers.
Speaker 10 (32:40):
It's just absolutely heartbreaking to listen to her portray herself
as the victim. You know, we told these two children
that their dad and I were very sorrowful, and so
she's portraying herself as the victim, which is a very
(33:00):
common abuser tactic, you know, gaslighting the victim. And these
are children. They need to learn by trial and error
as they go along, and the parents need to be
responding to them in that way, in a kind and
loving way, and it's just absolutely heartbreaking. I can see
(33:22):
why they were charged with severe emotional harm of these
two children. In the charging document, they're charged with not
only torture maltrition, but also severe emotional harm, which it
absolutely is.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
To doctor Dana Anderson, forensic psychologists and consultant. What do
you make of the other children, four of them getting
all their Christmas gifts from Santa and these two being
left out on Christmas morning, one of the biggest days,
one of the two biggest days in the Christian year,
(34:00):
that being Christmas and Easter, and they're left out because
they wouldn't quote repent.
Speaker 13 (34:07):
Yeah, she wants to make an example out of them,
punish them, humiliate them. You know, it's all this sort
of brainwashing, gaslightingness.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
On a six year old, gaslighting, manipulating, abusing a six
year old child and her brother.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
So let me understand something.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
The Emily Ashcroft, the six year old child that had
food withheld, would that be the child left behind in
the home, starving and tied up when the twelve year
old brother escapes through the window.
Speaker 8 (34:42):
That would be that same child.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
So this has been going on since the little girl
was six and the little.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Boy was eight.
Speaker 8 (34:50):
One of the things that Ruby Frankie said after her
arrest was that those children weren't fit to be around
other children. And I'm not sure what she means by that,
but it seems like it was specific to those two.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Where is the dad and all this?
Speaker 8 (35:04):
Ruby Frankie and her children were down in Ivans, which
is probably about three between three and four hours from Springville.
We know that Ruby Frankie was there because she shows
up in a video and that's why she was charged.
She was in a video that was posted shortly before.
We don't know if the dad was down there in Ivans,
up in Springville, how long he hadn't been there, or
(35:27):
maybe he wasn't Ivans.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Did he not notice two of his children, at least
two of them, or being slowly starved and tortured near death?
I mean when neighbors noticed the child is starved and
covered in duct tape on their extremities. So she didn't
know what's going on. And apparently this has been going
on for some time. At least the little girl was six. Guys,
(35:51):
take a listen to our cut thirty.
Speaker 8 (35:53):
Carturing him stuffing, I know you're not, but it looks
like you are.
Speaker 20 (36:02):
I'm only going to say it one more time and
then you're going.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
To lose the privilege to eat dinner.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Okay. I hear the laughter.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I don't know what's going on, but I also hear
you're going to lose the privilege of eating dinner. I
hear Ruby Frankie saying that what makes her any different
from all the other abusive parents hair and makeup? Two
hours of hair and makeup before she gets in front
of the camera. To Jason Jensen joining US high profile
(36:32):
private investigator out of Utah located in Salt Lake City,
Jason Jensen, how are we going to go about proving
this case?
Speaker 9 (36:41):
Well, I think you hit most of it on the head,
and basically we have to show that there's a pattern,
a history between the actor, the abuser and her victim children.
And we have that pretty well established from some of
the outtakes of the you Tube channel, things that have
(37:02):
been brought up by fellow viewers and that we've discussed
here during the program. There's a history of this type
of neglect and abuse against these two particular children that
have been slowly brewing over time, where it was perhaps
(37:22):
determined to be minor, not enough to remove the children
from the home before, but now we're so severe that
they're being bound in duct taped like you know abductees,
and they're not even allowed to you know, venture forth
from the house. And every time that they get in trouble,
food is taken away as a punishment.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Well.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Also, we're learning that one Abruby Frankie's other daughters says
her mother was reported to police years before.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
For abuse, yes, and nothing was done.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
And sisters of Frankie three sisters have also released statements
admitting that they quote kept quiet on the subject.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
What in the hay is that doctor Dana Anderson.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
That the family knows, but they choose to remain quiet
and let the children continue to starve and be tied
up and bound.
Speaker 13 (38:26):
Yeah. I can't say the extent of what the family knew,
but they certainly had some information. And I think it's
interesting that they've quickly made statements to the public stating
what side they're on. And I wonder if what the
phone longue would show of them attempting to reach out
(38:48):
or call CPS or the police.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Because they've issued a statement and I'm quoting them, we
quote kept quiet on the subject. Now the daughter Sherry
has something to say. Take a listen to our cut.
Twenty box thirteen.
Speaker 11 (39:07):
Frank's oldest daughter, Sherry frank posted to her public Instagram
a photo of police with the caption. Finally, she added
another story, saying me and my family are so glad
justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the
police and CPS for years about this and so glad
they finally decided to step up. Kids are safe, but
there's a long road ahead. Please keep them in your
(39:27):
prayers and also respect their privacy.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
The sisters, who are also YouTubers state this is their quote.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
For the last three years, we have.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Frankie
for the sake of her children, behind the public saying
we've done everything we could to try and make sure
the kids were safe. Really because they weren't the three sisters.
They were starving, they were being bound by ropes and
duct tape, and what if anything did you.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
Do about it?
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Sounds like nothing, because I have a very strong suspicion
that if they had called Defects Department, Family Children's Services, CPS,
CHOP Protitive Services and some jurisdictions that there would have
been a response. Would you agree, Donna Kelly.
Speaker 10 (40:17):
Oh, absolutely absolutely, Guys.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
There's another person arrested. Take a list. Nower cut eighteen
Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (40:24):
Eight passengers was taken down earlier this year, and that's
when Frankie partnered with Jody Hildebrandt, a licensed therapist, in
a channel called Connections, where they gave parenting and life advice.
Pictured in Hildebrant's home, the same place Frankie's son escaped
from and where her daughter was found being held captive
in the basement.
Speaker 12 (40:42):
It's heartbreaking, and I think it's heartbreaking for the community
that watched this family. Knew that something was wrong.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
So people watched the family and knew something was wrong
and did nothing. Now I want you to hear more
of what the sisters said. We wouldn't feel right about
moving forward with regular content without addressing the most recent events,
their sister getting arrested and her friend, Jody Hildebrant. But
they say once we do, we will not be commenting
(41:14):
on it further. Ruby was arrested, which needed to happen.
Jody was arrested, which needed to happen. The kids are
now safe, which is number one priority. Really, the number
one priority. You say you've remained silent for three years.
Why did you stand by and let this happen to
these children? It seems like Ruby, Frankie, and Jody Hildebrant
(41:37):
just cannot stay out of the headlines.
Speaker 3 (41:41):
Headlines, be damned.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
She mistreated, abused, beat and starved her children. Ruby Frankie,
Jody Hildebrandt. I guarantee you it ain't over yet. Goodbye
friend
Speaker 20 (42:01):
E
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, so called mommy vlogger turned
convicted child abuser Ruby Frankie new claims, Oh my goodness,
does it never end with her and her buddy Hildebrant.
(00:21):
The Ruby Frankie prosecutor claims investigators quote questioned the influencer
mom's relationship with Jody Hildebrant. The husband tells cops the
two were sleeping in the same bed. Who cares if.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
The two women were having an affair. I don't care.
I care what happened to the children.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
And there's more. Bombshell claims in the case. I'm Nancy Grace,
this is crime Stories. Thank you for being with us.
Let's just get it out there. The prosecutor on the
case of convicted mommy vlogger Ruby Frankie questioned the relationship
she had with business partner Jody Hildebrant.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Okay, so they slept in the same bed. Does that
change anything about this case?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Apparently it's all revealed by Ruby Frankie's daughter, who caught mom,
if you can call her that, Ruby Frankie with another
child abuse her, Jody Hildebrant. According to the daughter, of
course now estranged. Bombshell new memoir is called In the
(01:34):
House of My Mother, A Daughter's Quest for Freedom. Shery Frankie,
now twenty one, describes discovering the truth about her mom's relationship.
Now getting this part. While Frankie and Hildebrant condemned gay
people to their millions of followers, according to the daughter,
(01:57):
Hildebrant's friendship with the Mormon mom of six, Ruby Frankie,
while it started as business, quickly turned to sex. According
to the daughter Sherry, others were told the upstairs to
the home was quote off limits, including to the husband, Kevin.
He could leave the house whenever he wanted to, says
(02:18):
the daughter, but he couldn't come back without Ruby Frankie's permission.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Ooh.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Even access to the kitchen for meals required her Ruby
Frankie's approval. Before long, Ruby Frankie, according to the daughter,
had moved into Jody Hildebrant's room from the marital bedroom.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
According to Jody Frankie's daughter, Hildebrandt had very detailed visions,
including some where she says she saw Ruby Frankie walking
on the water beside Christ Okay, now I'm getting mad,
and others. Hildebrant apparently envisioned herself writing a massive li
(03:00):
lion named Charles through the gates of Heaven. Okay, you
know I've said a million times, Lord, I will be
happy just to be a little mouse in the corner.
Please let me into heaven. Apparently this one's gonna ride
through the Heaven's gates on a lion named Charles. The
two that would be Jody Hildebrant and Ruby Frankie spent
(03:23):
an incredible amount of time quote hunker down in their
upstairs sanctuary, leaving to take shopping trips to Mexico, returning
with bags full of pills. I don't know what that's about.
All I care about is whether the children were abused
and starved, and according to a court of law, they were.
Hilda Brant and Frankie sitting behind bars. I don't know
(03:46):
why so much focus is on whether the two had
a sex relationship, but I find it highly ironic that
these two condemned gay people and their lifestyle, while, according
to the daughter, that was their lifestyle. Why is everyone
so worried about who other people are sleeping with. It's
(04:07):
all I can do to keep my car in the
middle of the road. Can we talk about the facts
of the case. Please let me remind everyone what happened
to these children.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Let's kick it off with our friends at ABC.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Arrest documents saying the child escaped to a neighbor's home.
The twelve year old child described by that neighbor in
a phone call to police as emaciated and malnourished with
open wounds. Core documents also describing deep lacerations from being
tied up with a rope.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
About the thing that or back at the Homer's bum.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
Police say they also found Frankie's ten year old daughter malnourished.
Frankie is known for her strict parenting advice to millions
of TikTok and YouTube followers.
Speaker 7 (04:48):
Police say a clearly malnourished twelve year old child crawled
out of the window of Hildebrand's Ivans Area home. A
neighbor called nine one one when he showed up at
their house asking for food and water. Officers his wrists
were duct taped. He had wounds for being tied up
across his body. Investigators say they found a ten year
old girl inside the same house who was also wellnourished.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
And also hearing our friends at KSL so we have
at least one child who had apparently just turned twelve,
crawling out the window of the family home starved.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
And believe you me, if you haven't ever seen it,
I hope you never do.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I pray to God you never do, because when you
see a child that has been starved as I have, it's.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Something you never forget.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
I remember when I was going to South Carolina just
recently to cover the Alex Mardock double murder trial. I
passed a yard and there was a dog tied up
in the front yard to a stake, and I could
see the dog ribs, and it reminds me when I
(06:04):
went to Aruba with Natalie Holloway's mother just recently, tried
to turn up new evidence far at the end of
the island where the lighthouse is. There was a pack
of dogs, maybe four or five of them, that kept
coming up to us, chasing after us, and they looked
like skeletons that their ribs were poking out, and it
(06:26):
just I thought about them over and over and over,
and when you see a child with their ribs poking out,
clearly emaciated, I can't even get the dogs out of
my mind, much less the children that I saw that
way as a prosecutor, and not just once, over and
(06:49):
over and over food deprivation, starving your child. I think
about this twelve year old little boy to the where
he crawls out the window and goes to a neighbor
asking for food, and the neighbor sees lacerations, lacerations for
(07:13):
the child has been tied up. And then we learn
that there's another child in the home, a ten year
old little girl with the same lacerations, mal nutrition, malnourished
living in that home.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
Who and the hell is the mommy?
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Who and the hell is the dad that would do
this to their children? Well, I hope you're sitting down,
take a listen to our friends at GMA.
Speaker 6 (07:50):
A Utah mom influencer arrested facing six felony counts of
aggravated child abuse for the first time, we're hearing emergency
responders as you see one of Ruby Frankie's children after
he allegedly escaped through a window.
Speaker 5 (08:04):
And now that's how don Fa Brown to each uncle
he's not telling up the right and said that he
stores around his with an ankle. He's becoming he's becoming
emotional regarding the child health I'm glad to have.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
With me an all star panel to make sense of
what we know right now. But first someone to go
to investigative reporter with KSL dot com out of Utah.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Emily Ashcraft is with us. Emily, thank you for being
with us. Who is this woman?
Speaker 1 (08:36):
And we're hearing a lot about the mom, but as
far as I'm concerned, the father hen goes straight to
hell too.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
But first tell me who is she?
Speaker 8 (08:46):
She is a family YouTuber blogger and the family, actually
it's it's YouTube channel faded out or stopped recently and
she started up another YouTube channel as a counselor instead
of a mom.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
What is eight Passengers?
Speaker 8 (09:04):
So that's the family's YouTube channel, and you know she
said in an article KSL wrote years ago that she
started the channel because she wanted other moms who were
kind of starting out with infants to see what it's
like to have kids that are getting older. Kind of
(09:25):
the rewards of motherhood is what she wanted to show
off in her in the eight Passengers YouTube channel.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Ruby Ranky YouTuber mom of six Ruby Rankie.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
F R A n k E. How many followers?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I understand over two point two million subscribers to eight
passengers channel.
Speaker 8 (09:48):
That's the numbers that I've seen as well.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Okay, who in the hay is drinking the kool aid?
That's what I want to know, And I want to
go now to Donna Kelly, former Utah Senior Deputy District
attorney and lawyer for crime Victim's Legal Clinic. Donna, thank
you for being with us. And I've seen this over
and over and over. It's not just a story. It's
(10:11):
not something we're reporting on. It's not some fiction or
TV made for TV movie. Not only do you have
the parents abusing the child horribly, but people around them,
they know what's happening, and.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
They do nothing. What is wrong with these people?
Speaker 1 (10:31):
I mean, it's not as if this just happened and
they suddenly see, oh, the child has bruises all over
their arms. That's suspicious. They're starved. They're starved. That takes
a long period.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Of time, Donna Kelly, and nobody noticed.
Speaker 9 (10:48):
Yes it does.
Speaker 10 (10:49):
And unfortunately, many abusers are have the mindset that they
work hard at portraying themselves as you know, the good parent,
the parent you go to when you need advice. That
type of thing is not uncommon, and so that appears
to be what's going on here is that this particular
(11:13):
set of parents decided that they were going to portray
themselves as the ideal parent and put that out there
to the world, and apparently a lot, at least two
point two million people.
Speaker 9 (11:28):
Were fooled.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Guys, I just want you to hear something. Take a
listen to our friends at Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (11:34):
Independent journalist and YouTuber Katie Paulson tracks child abuse cases.
She says Frankie's YouTube channel eight passengers caught her attention
and she was.
Speaker 12 (11:43):
Saying how she would send her daughter to school with
no food, and it was almost like she was bragging
about it.
Speaker 11 (11:49):
She recalls another time when Frankie's son openly talked about
his punishment on the channel.
Speaker 12 (11:53):
He was talking about how he had been sleeping on
the floor on a bean bag chair and how his
mom had taken away his bed and has taken away
his door.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
That child had to sleep on a beanbank chair for
seven plus months for pulling a prank on his brother,
A prank, i might add, that didn't even cause any
physical harm. What he did was he told the brother
they were going to Disneyland the next morning, and the
brother got up and packed, put on his sunglasses and
was ready to go.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
It was a joe. They didn't go to Disneyland. That
was the frank.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Bombshell claims that Ruby Frankie had a steamy affair with
her fellow abuser.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Jody Hildebrant.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
The two can think about that behind bars, and FYI
don't care. I care about the horrific child abuse inflicted
on these children.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Reality check. This is what happened here. We've got a
mom starving the children.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
And bragging about it online. But I also don't understand.
To doctor Dana Anderson, forensic psychologist and consultant, you can
find her at psychologydoctor dot com. She's bad enough, But
who are the two point two million people that tune
in to watch her gibberish?
Speaker 13 (13:22):
Well, I can tell you I certainly wasn't tuning in.
I've never even heard of Ruby frank until this came up.
But what's more, deplorables her sidekick, Jody Hildebrandt, who's a
license professional, who's observing this the whole time.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Two point two million people are following this witch straight
from hell. I want you to hear more of what
we have learned. Take a listen to our friends at
Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (13:49):
Diane Nevins remembers being horrified at what she was watching
on YouTube.
Speaker 14 (13:53):
It was kind of like every video there was something
to be shocked about.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Her son couldn't.
Speaker 13 (13:59):
Walk for until he was like two and a half
years old, and she never got him any help.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
And she admitted that she had a one point he'd
fallen off the couch or she dropped him.
Speaker 15 (14:09):
He had gotten no no physical therapy anything.
Speaker 11 (14:13):
Nevin says when she commented her concerns, she was blocked
by Frankie.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
What exactly to Emily Ashcroff, joining US investigative reporter for
KSL dot com, what was found in the home? After
the neighbor has to call nine one one when she
gets a twelve year old little boy who says his
ten year old sisters inside of the same injuries starved,
starved and covered in lacerations showing the child had been
(14:40):
tied up.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
What they cops fired When.
Speaker 8 (14:43):
They go inside, they found a second child and the
two youngest children in the family were both so starved.
The one that didn't crawl out and initially refused medical care,
but they after interacting with her for a while. They
kind of said let's go to the hospital as well,
(15:03):
and both of the women were churched with six counts,
three for each child of aggravated child abuse.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Authorities say that both children were described as quote their words,
not mine, emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duck
tapes around the extremities, begging for food and water, begging
for food and water. And this woman, this woman actually
(15:30):
has a YouTube channel where she dispenses advice. I'm just
imagining the inside of that home and how the children
were bound with duct tape and apparently their skin was
burned with ropes having tied them up. What kind of
mothering and fathering is that? It brings to mind the
so called House of Horrors. Yes, the evil Turpin parents.
(15:54):
Their daughter crawled out of the house out of a
window and ran to call nine one one to save
her brothers and sisters. They were found in the same
exact condition. Take a listen to our cut thirty five.
Our friends at ac GTN.
Speaker 16 (16:10):
Officials say when they entered the Turpin home they found
a modern day horre, foul smell, extremely dirty conditions and
they say it was immediately clear that the siblings were malnourished.
Authorities say they found three of the children shackled to
their beds with chains and padlocks, kept in dark and
unclean conditions inside this Riverside County, California home. Deputies located
(16:32):
twelve children inside the house as young as two years old.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
And upon further investigation, when authorities went to their last
home where the Turpins lived, they found claw marks on
the inside of closet doors where children had tried to
claw their way out. And listened to this nine to
one one calling our cut thirty six. This is a
Turpin child that crawled out the window much like this
(16:59):
influence sir as child did.
Speaker 17 (17:01):
Okay, I'm live in a family of fifteen people, and
my parents are abusin abused us. And my two little
sisters right now are changed up.
Speaker 14 (17:12):
And how many of your siblings are tied up too?
Speaker 17 (17:15):
Of my sisters one of my brothers.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
How are they tied it up with Rome or with.
Speaker 14 (17:20):
What it's king?
Speaker 17 (17:22):
They're changed up to their bed?
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Guys, also, I can't forget the case a Jennifer wolfthaal
take a listener, cut thirty four. Our friend Stephen Howling
over at people dot.
Speaker 18 (17:34):
Com According to an arrest report obtained by WFTV, wolf
Thal was arrested that time after her husband arrived at
the hospital with their eight year old daughter, who suffered
from conditions including pneumonia, a staph infection, and liver failure.
Authority say the girl was also malnourished and had multiple bruises,
a skin infection, and several open wounds. Wolf Thal is
the author of the children's book A Real Friend. It
(17:56):
has been removed from sale by its publisher.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
See the connection I'm making our there. You've got this
woman who is an influencer who has a YouTube channel
about parenting. She has mistreated and abused her children. They're starving,
they're tied up with duct tape. When cots get there,
they still have duct tape on their extremities.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
It looks like they have rope burns.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
And they're begging for food and water, having to climb
out the window to get to a phone to call
nine to one one, begging neighbors to give them something
to eat. And here is this book author who has
her child covered in bruises, with skin infections, open wounds.
You know what makes Ruby different from the Turpin mob.
(18:43):
Ruby Frankie is glamorous. Yeah, she has this YouTube channel
and boys, she making the most of it. Guys, I
want you to take a listen to doctor free Has
joining us pediatrician, pediatric emergency medicine expert, child safety expert.
And you can find doctor free has at pdmom dot com.
(19:08):
Let me spell that doesn't look like it sounds. It's
like pediatrician p as in Peter E.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
D as in.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
Daffodil I p ed imom dot com. Doctor free has,
thank you for being with us. What this woman has
is hair and makeup. That's what makes her different from
the Turpin family or the other mom. They're all builds
a up straight from hell. They're the devil's minions.
Speaker 14 (19:39):
Yeah, and that's actually a very big misconception that a
lot of people have about abusers, child abusers specifically. I
think a lot of people have in their mind that
it's only a certain type of person that can do
these types of evil things to children, and it's not.
It can literally be anybody.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
Yeah, you know, you think you know your neighbor, You
think you know all about what's going on in your neighborhood.
These shouldren are being starved in their own home, assaulted,
tied up with ropes and with duct tape that we
know of based on the evidence we're hearing so far,
and nobody did a thing, and people kept watching this
woman online. Jason Jensen joining me Salt Lake City, Utah,
(20:20):
private investigator, owner of Jensen Private Investigations, co founder of
the Cold Case Coalition, and you can find them at
Jensen Private Investigations dot com. This is in your neck
of the woods.
Speaker 19 (20:31):
What do you have to say, Well, Nancy, there's a
lot that can be said here. It's interesting that you know,
the outer image that was being portrayed, you know, like
you describer Glamour's mom raising six kids, wants to show
off to the world how to do it right. Well,
(20:52):
you know that seems to really have like a Mormon
household style image oftentimes in the church. Here in our community,
they tried to portray to the world a model style
of raising a family, and unfortunately this lady took matters way.
Speaker 9 (21:14):
To the extreme. We're not just showing like discipline online,
but goes to the extreme of child abuse.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Jason Jensen, isn't it true that your children have actually
watched this woman's YouTube channel?
Speaker 2 (21:28):
What did they think?
Speaker 9 (21:29):
Yes, Nancy. Actually, my two kids were the ones that
brought Ruby Frankie to my attention because years ago, when
they were younger, they watched and enjoyed the channel, and
sometimes they got a kick out of it because she
was such a gruff parent. She was always harsh on them,
and it kind of gave them the impression that she
(21:53):
was a disciplinary And what both of my kids said
is pertaining to the two younger kids this subject the
victims of this recent arrest is they said they could
tell mom did not like these two kids very well.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Guys, when someone did try to speak out against Ruby Frankie,
take a listen to what happened in our cut seventeen
Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (22:21):
Paulson also saying when she did a report on what
Frankie and her kids were seeing in the videos, she
was threatened to be sued. She forwarded me an email
from Frankie's lawyer sent in twenty twenty that says, in part,
we represent the family blog Channel Eat passengers who continue
to be harmed by defamatory videos uploaded to YouTube by
your client, and saying it resulted in a baseless visit
(22:41):
by Child Protective Services.
Speaker 12 (22:43):
They always say if you see something, say something, and
in this case, when people said something, they were threatened.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Let me understand something.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Emily Ashcroft, joining us from KSL Child Protective Services went
to the hall even though now Frankie is climbing. That
was basic and what they found nothing. They couldn't tell
anything was going on.
Speaker 8 (23:03):
Yeah, they went to the home to talk about those
claims that you brought up in videos. It was clear
that she sent a child to school without lunch and
had a child sleeping on a bean bag, and so
they went to investigate those and that that didn't lead
to any charges at that point. You know its red flags,
but I guess not res activity.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I watched it.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
She brags about with hoolding food from her children.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
How is that? Okay?
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Take a Lisnower cut twenty two. This is Ruby Frankie
in eight passengers.
Speaker 20 (23:36):
Russell got the big bedroom and Chick got the smaller bedroom.
And Russell's bigger bedroom also had a bathroom.
Speaker 8 (23:42):
But what you guys didn't know was didn't get any room.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
He didn't, he didn't get anything.
Speaker 10 (23:48):
He was sleeping on the floor in the family room.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
Abby.
Speaker 20 (23:51):
We took the phone away from Abby in November and
you may never get the phone back.
Speaker 9 (23:58):
Totally.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
Not kids are literally starving.
Speaker 20 (24:01):
I hesitate to say this because it's going to sound.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Like I'm like a mean barbarian.
Speaker 20 (24:05):
But I told the kids, I said, I'm not even
gonna let you eat breakfast until you get your chores done.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
It's not just that she's withholding food, and it's not
just because they didn't do chores one morning before school.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
It's all the time.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You don't get to a point of starvation when you
occasionally skip breakfast. Isn't that true, doctor free hes pediatrician.
Speaker 14 (24:31):
Yeah. Absolutely. You don't get the misfeeded by missing a
meal or two here or there, and you don't appear
to be that to outside people unless you're missing a
substantial amount of meals and nutrition, which can then lead
to a whole host of other things that unfortunately, these
kids may have to deal with.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
So in one fell sweet we hear about with holding
food until chores are done in the morning, not give
one child.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
A place to sleep. But there's a certain amount of bragging.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Of bravado, of joeviality, of cheer, and the way she
describes how she's treating her children and what everybody just
stands by and lifts it up.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Why they're a big at the trough.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Take a listen hour cut twenty four more of Ruby Frankie.
Speaker 15 (25:25):
I just got a text message from Eve's teacher and
she said that Eve did not pack a lunch today
and can I bring a lunch over to the school.
This happens quite often when you're having raising children, because
I know that her teacher is uncomfortable with her being
hungry and not having a lunch, and it would ease
(25:46):
her discomfort if I came to the school with lunch.
But I responded and just said Eve is responsible for
making her lunches in the morning, and she actually told
me she did pack a lunch. So the natural outcome
is she's just going to me to be hungry and
hopefully nobody gives her food, and nobody stepped in and
gives her a lunch.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
And isn't it true that at that time, Emily Ashcroft
ksl this little girl was only six years old.
Speaker 8 (26:12):
That's what I saw is this is a you know,
first grader, just you know, first year. She's bringing food
to food to school probably and the later the mom said,
you know, justifying it. After after child protective services were
called she said, you know it was I didn't learn
until two hours before the end of school, and it
(26:34):
was a forty five minute drive, so getting it to her.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
Really, because that's not what she said in her blood gratitude.
She said it was because the child didn't the six
year old girl did not pack her own lunch.
Speaker 14 (26:46):
Changed said that.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
She knew it would ease the teacher's discomfort if her
child had food.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
What about the child? What about the child's discomfort? That's
not all.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Take a listen to our cuts twenty seven and twenty
eight more of Ruby Frankie.
Speaker 20 (27:02):
Kevin and I we have six children. The two youngest
are showing long patterns of selfishness. They have been showing
through their choices, their unwillingness to repent, their unwillingness to
feel sorrow over some pretty egregious choices.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
That they've made.
Speaker 20 (27:20):
So Kevin and I have decided that we are going
to give the gift of truth to them this year
for Christmas. We are having to give them the gift
of boundaries, and we're going to give them the gift
of repentance. So we sat down with them and we
let them know how deeply sorrowful we've been because of
the choices that they have been making and how it's
(27:42):
affected their teachers at school, it's affected their peers, it's
affected our home. The siblings, we just laid it out
very clear and we told them that this year they
are not going to be visited by Santa.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Ruby Frankie's children speak out. Frankie convicted felon for horribly
abusing and starving her children. Her children's slamming quote unethical
family vlogging, saying they will not follow in their mother's footsteps.
According to her oldest son, Chad, this is him speaking
on Good Morning America. I eventually want to have a family,
(28:34):
and I've learned from my mom's mistakes.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
These poor children will.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Be haunted forever by their mother and her henchperson Minion
from Hell, Jodie Hildebrandt's abuse of them, and I would
like to add, following her children speaking out, that Utah
has added protections for child influencers following Ruby Frankie's child
(29:00):
abuse conviction. That's right, a state legislature actually does something worthwhile.
A few tuesdays ago, Utah adds new protections for the
children of online content Creators. Governor Spencer Cox signed the
law giving adults a path to scrub from all platforms
(29:21):
digital content they were featured in as miners, and it
requires parents to set aside money for their children that
are featured in this content. Why because children cannot give
informed consent to be filmed on social media period. Even
Frankie's husband joined in, quote vlogging my family. Putting my
(29:44):
children in public social media was wrong and I regret
it every day. Hey, then why did you let it happen?
That's a good question.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Huh.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Speaking of the husband, what is Ruby Frankie's ex husband
doing now now? Kevin Frankie, he says he quote still
loves her? What How can you love somebody that mistreated
your own children so horribly? And ps, where were you
(30:17):
during all of that? Okay, all their marital issues aside.
This is what we know happened.
Speaker 20 (30:24):
We are going to give the gift of truth to
them this year for Christmas. We are having to give
them the gift of boundaries, and we're going to give
them the gift of repentance. So we sat down with
them and we let them know how deeply sorrowful we've
been because of the choices that they have been making,
and how it's affected their teachers at school, it's affected
(30:47):
their peers, it's affected in our home. The siblings and
we just laid it out very clear, and we told
them that this year they are not going to be
visited by Santa. We let them know that Christmas morning, therefore,
older siblings will be getting Christmas presents to open and
that they will have the gift of love from their
(31:09):
dad to I.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Okay, let's just examine what we just heard. Donna Kelly
joining me, former Utah Senior Deputy District Attorney.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Donna.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
She says, the youngest two, which I believe to be
around the ages of six and seven, were unwilling to
quote repent. So therefore, while all the other children were
visited by Santa, the two little ones were not because
(31:38):
they would not quote repent. I didn't make that up,
she said that. And after you speak, I'm going to
need a shrink on this. Go ahead, Donna Kelly and Donna,
I know You've seen this, as have I, where one
or more children are picked out as the targets. Although
(32:00):
I think all of these children have been abused and mistreated, seemingly,
one usually is picked out as the most despised and
hated and their torture more than anyone else. These two children,
as they watch their sisters and brothers get Christmas Morning surprises,
they get nothing. And then there are two children that
(32:23):
are bound with duct tape and ropes and starved. I
just want to get my hands around this woman's neck.
Then not only does she do this to her children
behind closed doors, she brags about it on a YouTube
channel that is two point two million followers.
Speaker 10 (32:40):
It's just absolutely heartbreaking to listen to her portray herself
as the victim. You know, we told these two children
that their dad and I were very sorrowful, and so
she's portraying herself as the victim, which is a very
(33:00):
common abuser tactic, you know, gaslighting the victim. And these
are children. They need to learn by trial and error
as they go along, and the parents need to be
responding to them in that way, in a kind and
loving way, and it's just absolutely heartbreaking. I can see
(33:22):
why they were charged with severe emotional harm of these
two children. In the charging document, they're charged with not
only torture maltrition, but also severe emotional harm, which it
absolutely is.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
To doctor Dana Anderson, forensic psychologists and consultant. What do
you make of the other children, four of them getting
all their Christmas gifts from Santa and these two being
left out on Christmas morning, one of the biggest days,
one of the two biggest days in the Christian year,
(34:00):
that being Christmas and Easter, and they're left out because
they wouldn't quote repent.
Speaker 13 (34:07):
Yeah, she wants to make an example out of them,
punish them, humiliate them. You know, it's all this sort
of brainwashing, gaslightingness.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
On a six year old, gaslighting, manipulating, abusing a six
year old child and her brother.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
So let me understand something.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
The Emily Ashcroft, the six year old child that had
food withheld, would that be the child left behind in
the home, starving and tied up when the twelve year
old brother escapes through the window.
Speaker 8 (34:42):
That would be that same child.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
So this has been going on since the little girl
was six and the little.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
Boy was eight.
Speaker 8 (34:50):
One of the things that Ruby Frankie said after her
arrest was that those children weren't fit to be around
other children. And I'm not sure what she means by that,
but it seems like it was specific to those two.
Speaker 2 (35:01):
Where is the dad and all this?
Speaker 8 (35:04):
Ruby Frankie and her children were down in Ivans, which
is probably about three between three and four hours from Springville.
We know that Ruby Frankie was there because she shows
up in a video and that's why she was charged.
She was in a video that was posted shortly before.
We don't know if the dad was down there in Ivans,
up in Springville, how long he hadn't been there, or
(35:27):
maybe he wasn't Ivans.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
Did he not notice two of his children, at least
two of them, or being slowly starved and tortured near death?
I mean when neighbors noticed the child is starved and
covered in duct tape on their extremities. So she didn't
know what's going on. And apparently this has been going
on for some time. At least the little girl was six. Guys,
(35:51):
take a listen to our cut thirty.
Speaker 8 (35:53):
Carturing him stuffing, I know you're not, but it looks
like you are.
Speaker 20 (36:02):
I'm only going to say it one more time and
then you're going.
Speaker 3 (36:05):
To lose the privilege to eat dinner.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Okay. I hear the laughter.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
I don't know what's going on, but I also hear
you're going to lose the privilege of eating dinner. I
hear Ruby Frankie saying that what makes her any different
from all the other abusive parents hair and makeup? Two
hours of hair and makeup before she gets in front
of the camera. To Jason Jensen joining US high profile
(36:32):
private investigator out of Utah located in Salt Lake City,
Jason Jensen, how are we going to go about proving
this case?
Speaker 9 (36:41):
Well, I think you hit most of it on the head,
and basically we have to show that there's a pattern,
a history between the actor, the abuser and her victim children.
And we have that pretty well established from some of
the outtakes of the you Tube channel, things that have
(37:02):
been brought up by fellow viewers and that we've discussed
here during the program. There's a history of this type
of neglect and abuse against these two particular children that
have been slowly brewing over time, where it was perhaps
(37:22):
determined to be minor, not enough to remove the children
from the home before, but now we're so severe that
they're being bound in duct taped like you know abductees,
and they're not even allowed to you know, venture forth
from the house. And every time that they get in trouble,
food is taken away as a punishment.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Well.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
Also, we're learning that one Abruby Frankie's other daughters says
her mother was reported to police years before.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
For abuse, yes, and nothing was done.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
And sisters of Frankie three sisters have also released statements
admitting that they quote kept quiet on the subject.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
What in the hay is that doctor Dana Anderson.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
That the family knows, but they choose to remain quiet
and let the children continue to starve and be tied
up and bound.
Speaker 13 (38:26):
Yeah. I can't say the extent of what the family knew,
but they certainly had some information. And I think it's
interesting that they've quickly made statements to the public stating
what side they're on. And I wonder if what the
phone longue would show of them attempting to reach out
(38:48):
or call CPS or the police.
Speaker 1 (38:49):
Because they've issued a statement and I'm quoting them, we
quote kept quiet on the subject. Now the daughter Sherry
has something to say. Take a listen to our cut.
Twenty box thirteen.
Speaker 11 (39:07):
Frank's oldest daughter, Sherry frank posted to her public Instagram
a photo of police with the caption. Finally, she added
another story, saying me and my family are so glad
justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the
police and CPS for years about this and so glad
they finally decided to step up. Kids are safe, but
there's a long road ahead. Please keep them in your
(39:27):
prayers and also respect their privacy.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
The sisters, who are also YouTubers state this is their quote.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
For the last three years, we have.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
Kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Frankie
for the sake of her children, behind the public saying
we've done everything we could to try and make sure
the kids were safe. Really because they weren't the three sisters.
They were starving, they were being bound by ropes and
duct tape, and what if anything did you.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
Do about it?
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Sounds like nothing, because I have a very strong suspicion
that if they had called Defects Department, Family Children's Services, CPS,
CHOP Protitive Services and some jurisdictions that there would have
been a response. Would you agree, Donna Kelly.
Speaker 10 (40:17):
Oh, absolutely absolutely, Guys.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
There's another person arrested. Take a list. Nower cut eighteen
Fox thirteen.
Speaker 11 (40:24):
Eight passengers was taken down earlier this year, and that's
when Frankie partnered with Jody Hildebrandt, a licensed therapist, in
a channel called Connections, where they gave parenting and life advice.
Pictured in Hildebrant's home, the same place Frankie's son escaped
from and where her daughter was found being held captive
in the basement.
Speaker 12 (40:42):
It's heartbreaking, and I think it's heartbreaking for the community
that watched this family. Knew that something was wrong.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
So people watched the family and knew something was wrong
and did nothing. Now I want you to hear more
of what the sisters said. We wouldn't feel right about
moving forward with regular content without addressing the most recent events,
their sister getting arrested and her friend, Jody Hildebrant. But
they say once we do, we will not be commenting
(41:14):
on it further. Ruby was arrested, which needed to happen.
Jody was arrested, which needed to happen. The kids are
now safe, which is number one priority. Really, the number
one priority. You say you've remained silent for three years.
Why did you stand by and let this happen to
these children? It seems like Ruby, Frankie, and Jody Hildebrant
(41:37):
just cannot stay out of the headlines.
Speaker 3 (41:41):
Headlines, be damned.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
She mistreated, abused, beat and starved her children. Ruby Frankie,
Jody Hildebrandt. I guarantee you it ain't over yet. Goodbye
friend
Speaker 20 (42:01):
E
Host
Nancy Grace
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